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PHILADELPHIA,  PA. 


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IN  THE 

ART  OF  DYING 
WOOL  AND  WOOLLEN  GOODS. 

e5:tracted  from  the  philosophical  and 

CKYMICAL    WORKS   OF    THOSE  MOST 
EMINENT  AUTHORS 

FERGUSON,  DUFAY,  HELLOT,  GEOFFERY, 
COLBERT  i 

IaND  THAT  REPUVaBLE  rREKiCH  DitR 

MONS.  DE  JULIENNE.  - 

TRANSLATED  PROM  THE  FRENCH. 

WITP  ADDITIONS  AND  PRACTICAL 
EXPERIMENTS. 

BY  JAMES  HAIGH. 

LATE  SILK  AND  MUSLIN  DiEH,   LEKDe.  ^ 


PHILADELPHIA. 

NTED  AND  SOLD  BY  JAMES  HUMPHREYS, 
^  Corner  of  Second  and  Walnut-streetJ, 

1810. 


PREFACE. 


THERE  are  very  few  arts  so  expensive 
as  that  of  dicing ;  and  although  those 
principal  commodities,  clothing  and  furni- 
ture, receive  their  chief  improvement  and^ 
value  therefrom,  it  is  nevertheless  very  far 
from  being  brought  to  perfection.  A  long 
practice,  sound  judgment,  and  great  atten- 
tion, will  form  a  good  and  expert  dier.  Ma- 
ny diers  can  work  with  success  in  a  number  of 
colours  only  which  depend  on  each  other,  and 
afe  entirely  ignorant  of  the  rest,  or  have  but  a 
Very  imperfect  idea  of  them. 
'  ■^"A  philosopher,  who  studies  the  art  of 
dicing,  is  in  some  measure  astonished  at  the 
multiplicity  of  new  objects  which  it  affords  ^ 
every  step  presents  new  difficulties  and  ob- 
scurities, without  hopes  of  any  instruction 
from  the  common  , workmen,  who  seldom 
knov/  more  than  facts  and  custom."  Their 
manner  of  explaining;  themselves,  and  their 
common  terms,  only  ^afford  more  darkness^. 


PREFACE, 


which  the  uncommon  and  otten  useless  cir- 
cumstances of  their  proceedings  render  more 
obscure. 

Before  we  enter  into  the  particulars  of  die- 
mg  woo],  it  is  necessary  to  give  an  idea  of  the 
primary  colours,  ol*  rather  of  those  which  bear 
this  name  by  the  ai'tist  >  for  it  w^ill  appear  by 
reading  the  celebrated  works  of  Sir  Isaac 
New^ton  on  Light  and  Colours,  that  they  bear 
no  affinity  with  those  which  the  Philosophers 
call  by  that  name.  They  are  thus  named  by 
the  workmen,  because  by  the  nature  of  the  in- 
ingredients  of  which  they  are  composed,  they 
are  the  basis  from  w^hence  all  others  are  de- 
rived. This  division  of  colours,  and  the  idea 
which  I  intend  to  give  of  them,  are  also  com- 
mon to  the  different  kinds  of  dicing. 

The  five  primary  colours  are  blue,  red,  yel- 
low, brown  and  black.  Each  of  these  c«n 
furnibb  a  great  number  of  shades,  from  the 
lightest  to  the  darkest ;  and  from  tlie  combina- 
tion of  two  or  more  of  these  different  shades, 
arise  all  the  colours  in  nature.  Colours  are 
often  darkened,  or  made  light,  or  considerably 
changed,  by  ingredients  that  have  no  colour 
in  themselves  ^  such  are  the  acid,  the  alkalis, 
and  the  neutral  salts,  lime,  urine,  arsenic, 
alum,  and  some  others  ^  and  in  the  greatest 
part  of  dies,  the  wool  and  woollen  good.s  axe 


PREFACE. 


V 


prepared  with  some  of  these  ingredients  which 
of  themselves  give  little  or  no  colour.  It  may 
easily  be  conceived  what  an  infinite  variety 
must  arise  from  the  mixture  of  these  different 
matters,  or  even  from  the  manner  of  using 
them  ;  and  what  attention  must  be  given  to 
the  minutest  circumstances,  so  as  perfectly  to 
succeed  in  an  art  so  complicated,  and  in 
which  there  are  many  difficulties. 

It  is  not  needful  to  be  very  particular  ia 
describing  the  utensils  of  a  die-house,  as  they 
are  commonly  known  ;  this  work  being  de- 
signed for  the  experienced  dier.  A  die-house 
should,  however,  be  erected  on  a  spacious 
plan,  roofed  over,  but  admitting  a  good  light, 
and  as  nigh  as  possible  to  a  running  water, 
which  is  very  necessary,  either  to  prepare  the 
wool  before  it  is  died,  or  to  wash  it  afterwards. 
The  coppers  should  be  set  at  the  distance  of 
eight  or  ten  feet,  and  two  or  more  vats  for 
the  blue^  according  to  the  quantity  of  work 
that  is  to  be  carried  on. 

The  most  important  point  in  dicing  the 
primitive  blue  is  to  set  the  vat  properly  at 
work,  and  conduct  her  till  she  is  in  a  state  to 
yield  her  blue.  The  size  of  the  woad  vat  is 
not  fixed,  as  it  depends  upon  necessity  or  plea- 
sure. A  vat  containing  a  hogshead,  or  half 
that  quantity,  has  often  been  used  with  sue- 

A -9 


VI 


PREFACE. 


cess ,  but  then  they  must  be  prevented  bj 
some  means  from  cooling  too  suddenly,  other- 
wise these  small  vats  will  fail. 

Another  kind  of  vat  it  prepared  for  blue  : 
this  is  called  the  indigo  vat,  because  it  is  the 
indigo  alone  that  gives  it  the  colour.  Those 
that  use  the  woad  vat  do  not  commonly  use 
the  indigo  one. 

There  are  two  methods  of  dicing  wool  of 
any  colour ;  the  one  is  caHed  dicing  in  the 
great,  the  other  in  the  lesser  die.  The  first 
is  done  by  means  of  drugs  or  ingredients 
that  procure  a  lasting  die,  resist  the  action 
of  the  air  and  sun,  and  are  not  easily  stained 
by  sharp  or  corrosive  liquors.  The  contrary 
happens  to  colours  of  the  lesser  die.  The 
air  fades  them  in  a  short  time,  more  parti- 
cularly if  exposed  to  the  smi ;  most  liquors' 
stain  them,  so  as  to  make  them  lose  their 
first  colour.  It  is  extraordinary  that,  as  there 
is  a  methed  of  making  all  kinds  of  colo.urs 
by  the  great  die,  the  use  of  the  lesser  should 
be  tolerated ;  but  three  reasons  make  it 
difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  prevent  this 
practice. 

1st,  The  work  is  much  easier.  Most  co- 
lours and  shades  which  give  the  greatest 
trouble  in  the  greats  are  easily  carried  on  in 
the  lesser  die, 


PREFACE. 


VII 


2d,  Most  colours  in  the  lesser  are  more 
bright  and  lively  than  those  of  the  great. 

3d,  For  this  reason,  which  carries  more^ 
weight,  the  lesser  die  is  carried  on  much 
cheaper  than  the  great.  ThJs  is  sufficient  ta 
determine  some  men  to  do  all  in  their  power 
to  carry  it  on  in  preference  to  the  other. 
Hence  it  is  that  the  true  knowledge  of 
chymistry,  to  w^hich  the  art  of  dicing  owes 
its  origin,  is  of  so  much  use. 

In  may  be  observed,  that  all  lasting  colours 
are  called  colours  of  the  great,  and  the  others 
of  the  lesser  die.  Sometimes  the  first  are 
called  fine,  and  the  latter  false  colours  ;  but 
these  expressions  are  equivocal,  for  the  fine 
are  sometimes  confounded  with  the  high 
colours,  which  are  those  in  whose  composi- 
tion cochineal  enters  ;  therefore,  to  avoid  all 
obscurity,  I  shall  call  the  first  colours  of  the 
great,  and  the  latter  colours  of  the  lesser  die. 

Experiments,  (which  are  the  best  guides  in 
natural  philosophy  as  well  as  arts)  plainly 
shew,  that  the  difference  of  colours,  accord- 
ing to  the  foregoing  distinction,  partly  de^ 
pends  on  the  preparation  of  the  subject  that 
is  to  be  died,  and  partly  on  the  choice  of  the 
ingredients  which  are  afterwards  used  to  give 
it  the  colour,    1  therefore  think  it  may  be 


."1 1 1 


PREFACE; 


laid  down  as  a  general  principle,  that  all  the  in- 
visible process  of  dicing  consists  in  dilating  the 
pores  of  the  body  that  is  to  be  died,  and  depo- 
siting therein  particles  of  a  foreign  matter, 
which  are  to  be  detained  by  a  kind  of  cement 
which  prevents  the  sun  or  raiti  from  changing 
them.  To  make  choice  of  the  colouring. par- 
ticles of  such  a  durability  that  they  may  be 
retained,  and  sufficiently  set  in  the  pores  of 
the  subject  opened  by  the  heat  of  boiling  w^a- 
ter,  then  contracted  by  the  cold,  and  after- 
wards plaistered  over  with  a  kind  of  cement- 
left  behind  with  the  salt  used  for  their  prepa- 
ration, that  the  pores  of  the  wool  or  w^oollen 
stuff  ought  to  be  cleansed,  enlarged,  cemented 
and  then  contraGted,  that  the  colouring  atom 
may  be  contained  in  a  lasting  manner. 

Experiments  also  shew  that  there  is  no 
colouring'  ingredient  belonging  to  the  great 
die  w^hich  has  not  more  or  less  an  astringent 
and  precipitant  quality;  That  this  is  suffi- 
cient to  separate  the  earth  of  the  alum  ;  this 
earth,  joined  to  the  colouring  atoms,  forms  a 
kind  of  lacque,  similar  ,  to  that  used  by  the 
painters,  but  infinitely  finer.  That  in  bright 
colours,  such  as  scarlet,  where  alum  cannot  , 
be  used,  another  body  must  be  substituted  to 
supply  the  colouring  atoms  (block-tin  gives 


P  R  E  r  A  C  E . 


Hlis  basis  to  the  scarlet  die.)  When  all  these 
small  atoms  of  earthy  coloured  lacque  have  in- 
sinuated  themselves  into  the  pores  of  the 
subject  that  is  dilated,  the  cement  which  the 
tartar  leaves  behind  serves  to  masticate  these 
atoms  3  and  lastly,  the  contracting  of  the 
pores,  caused  by  the  cold,  serves  to  retain 
them. 

It  is  certain  that  the  colours  of  the  false 
die  have  that  defect  only  because  the  sub- 
ject is  not  sufficiently  prepared  ;  so  that  the 
colouring  particles  being  only  deposited  on 
its  plain  surface,  it  is  impossible  but  the 
action  of  the  air  or  sun  must  dfeprive  them  of 
part,  if  not  of  the  whole.  If  a  method  was 
discovered  to  give  to  the  colouring  parts  of 
dicing  woods,  the  necessary  astriction  w^hich 
^  they  require,  and  if  the  wool  at  the  same  time 
was  prepared  to  receive  them,  (as  it  is  the  red 
of  madder)  I  am  convinced,  by  thirty  experi- 
ments, that  tb^se  woods  might  be  made  as 
useful  in  the  great,  as  they  have  hitherto  been 
in  the  lesser  die. 

What  I  have  said  shall  be  applied  in  the 
sequel  of  this  treatise,  where  I  shall  shew^ 
what  engaged  me  to  use  them  as  general 
principles. 

I  should  have  been  glad  to  have  seen  a 
work  of  this  sort^  (knowing  the  great  need 


PREEACiT. 


there  is  of  a  chymical  understanding  of  this 
art)  signed  by  the  name  of  some  person  of 
distinction,  to  have  given  it  abetter  face  ;yet, 
in  defect  of  that,  I  w^as  prevailed  upon  to  un- 
dertake the  tedious  task.  I  dare  not  flatter 
myself  to  have  brought  it  to  its  last  perfec- 
tion, as  arts  daily  improve,  and  this  in  particu- 
lar ;  but  I  hope  some  acknow^ledgment  will 
be  due  to  me  for  bringing  this  matter  a  little 
further  out  of  that  obscurity  in  which  it  has 
laid,  and  for  assisting  the  diers  in  making  dis- 
coveries to  help  to  perfect  this  most  useful  art. 

I  shall  now  proceed  to  examine  the  five 
primary  colours  above  mentioned,  and  give 
the  different  methods  of  preparing  them  after 
the  most  solid  and  permanent  manner. 

JAMES  HAIGH.,j 

...  ......  hi 


rNTRODUCTIOR 


THE  materials  of  which  cloths  are  made^ 
for  the  most  part  are  naturally  of  dull 
and  gloomy  colours.    Garments  would  conse- 
quently have  had  a  disagreeable  uniformity^ 
if  this  art  had  not  been  found  out  to  remedy  it^ 
and  vary  their  shades.    The  accidental  bruis- 
ing of  fruits  or  herbs,  the  effect  of  rain  upon 
certain  earths  and  minerals  might  suggest  the 
first  hint  of  the  art  of  dicing,  and  of  the  mate- 
rials proper  for  it.    Every  climate  furnishes 
man  with  ferruginous  earths,  with  boles  of 
all  colours,  with  saline  and  vegetable  materials 
for  this  art.    The  difficulty  must  have  been 
to  find  the  art  of  applying  them.    But  how 
many  trials  and  essays  must  have  been  made, 
before  they  found  out  the  most  proper  me- 
thods of  applying  them  to  stuffs,  so  as  to  stain 
them  with  beautiful  and  lasting  colours  ?  In 
this  consists  the  principal  excellence  of  the 
dier's  art,  one  of  the  most  ingenious  and  dif« 
£cult  which  we  know. 


XI I  I  N T  R  O D  U  C  T  I  C  K. 


Dicing  is  performed  by  means  of  limes^ 
salts,  waters,  leys,  fermentations,  macera- 
tions, 8cC.  It  is  certain  that  dicing  is  very 
ancient.  The  Chinese  pretend  that  they  owe 
the  discovery  of  it  to  Hoan-ti,  one  of  their 
first  sovereigns. 

One  of  the  most  agreeable  effects  of  the 
art  of  dicing,  is  the  diversifying  the  colours  of 
stuffs.  There  are  two  ways  by  which  this 
agreeable  variety  Is  produced,  either  by  nee- 
dle-work with  threads  of  different  colours,  on 
an  uniform  ground,  or  by  making  use  of  yarn 
of  different  colours  in  the  weaving. 

The  first  of  these  inventions  is  attributed 
to  the  Phrygians,  a  very  ancient  nation  ;  the 
last  to  the  Babylonians.  Many  things  in- 
cline  us  to  think  that  these  arts  were  known 
even  in  the  times  of  which  we  are  now  treat- 
ing. The  great  progress  these  arts  had  made 
in  the  days  of  Moses,  supposes  .that  ihey  had 
been  discovered  long  before.  It  appears  to 
me  certain,  then,  that  the  arts  of  embroidery 
er  weaving  stuffs  of  various  colours  were  in- 
vented in  the  ages  v^e  are  now  upon.  But  I 
shall  not  insist  on  the  manner  in  which  they 
were  then  practised,  as  I  can  say  nothing  sa- 
tisfactory upon  that  subject. 

Another  art  nearly  related  to  that  of  dicing, 
is  that  of  cleaning  and  whitening  garments. 


INTRODUCTION. 


XIII 


gafments  when  they  have  been  stained  and 
sullied.  Water  alone  is  not  sufficient  for  this. 
We  must  communicate  to  it  by  means  of  pow- 
ders, ashes,  &c.  that  detersive  quality  which 
Is  necessary  to  extract  the  stains  which 
they  have  contracted.  The  ancients  knew 
nothing  of  soap,  but  supplied  the  want  of  it 
by  various  means.  Job  speaks  of  washing 
his  garments  in  a  pit  with  the  herb  borith. 
This  passage  shows  that  the  method  of  clean- 
ing garments  in  these  ages,  was  by  throwing 
them  into  a  pit  full  of  water,  impregnated 
with  some  kind  of  ashes ;  a  method  which 
seems  to  have  been  very  universal  in  these 
first  times.  Homer  describes  Nausicaa  and 
her  companions  washing  their  garments,  by 
treading  them  with  their  feet  in  a  pit. 

With  repect  to  the  herb  which  Job  calls 
borith,  I  imagine  it  is  sal  worth.  This  plant 
is  very  common  in  Syria,  Judea,  Egpyt,  and 
x4rabia.  They  burn  it,  and  pour  water  upon 
4he  ashes.  This  water  becomes  impregna- 
ted with  a  very  strong  lixivial  salt  proper  for 
taking  stains  or  impurities  out  of  wool  or 
cloth. 

The  Greeks  and  Romans  used  several 
kinds  of  earths  and  plants  instead  of  soap. 
The  savages  of  America  makeakindof  soap- 
water  of  certain  fruits,  with  which  thev  wasii 

C 


XIV 


INTRODirCTION* 


their  cotton-beds  and  other  stuffs.  In  Ice- 
land the  women  make  a  ley  of  ashes  and  urine. 
The  Persians  employ  boles  and  marls.  In 
many  countries  they  find  earths,  which,  dis- 
solved in  water,  have  the  property  of  cleaning 
and  whitening  cloth  and  linen.  All  these 
methods  might  perhaps  be  practiced  in  the 
primitive  ages.  The  necessities  of  all  man- 
kind are  much  the  same,  and  all  climates  pre-- 
sent  them  with  nearly  the  same  resources. 
It  is  the  art  of  applying  them,  which  distin- 
guishes polite  and  civilized  nations  from  sava- 
ges, and  barbarians. 


CONTENTS. 


PART  L 

OF  THE  ART  OF  blElNG  WOOL  AND  WOOLLEN 
STUFFS. 

CHAPTER  I. 

Of  Blue   .  25 

CHAPTER  II. 

Of  the  Garden-Woad  or  Pastel-Vat       ,    .    .  29 

The  vat  set  to  work  30 

Marks  how  to  conduct  a  Vat  regularly    .    .    •  33 

The  opening  of  the  Vat     ...»..,  37 

CHAPTER  III. 

Of  the  Field  Woad- Vat      .......  48 

CHAPTER  IV. 

The  Indigo. Vat       .........  52 

Process  of  making  the  Indigo  in  America  .  .  52 
Mfeihod  of  working  the  Indigo- Vat    ,    •    .    .  54 


CHAPTER  V. 

The  cold  Vat  with  Urine  59 


XVI 


CONTENTS. 


The  hot  Vat  with  Urine     .    .    .    .    .    ,    .  61 

Rc-heating  of  the  Vat  with  Urine      ,    .    ,    .  6-4 

CHAPTER  VI. 

or  the  cold  Indigo-Vat  without  Urine    *    .    .  67 

Water  of  Old  Iron   68 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Of  the  Method  of  dying  Blue  .....  70 
The  manufacturing  of  Pastel,  or  Garden  Woad 

in  France   .    •    .    .   98 

Po  wder  of  Woad    .........  101 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Of  Red                                             »    .  104 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Of  scarlet  of  Grain    10^ 

Preparation  of  the  wool  for  scarlet  of  Grain    .  107 

Liquor  for  the  Kermes  ib, 

CHAPTER  X, 

Of  Flame-coloured  Scarlet      .    .    .    ,    .    .  119 

Composition  for  Scarlet     ........  121 

Water  for  the  Preparation  of  Scarlet    .    •    .  124 

31eddening                                                 .  126 

Experiments  on  Cochineal  Liquor    ....  143 

Violet  without  Blue   144 

CHAPTER  xt. 

Of  Crimson   145 

Languedoc  Crimson                               .    .  149 

Natural  Crimson  in  Grain   151 


CONTB^NTS;  XYIX 
CHAPTER  XII. 

Scarlet  of  Gum  Lacque     ......    .  152 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Of  the  Coccus  Polonicus,  ax^olouring  Insect  .  15^ 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Of  the  Red  of  Madder  .  .  ,  .  •  ,  ,  J  58 
Purple  with  Madder  without  Blue    ,    .    ,    ,  168 

CHAPTER  ^Vi 

Of  Yellow  170 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Of  Brown*  «    .    .  175 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Of  Black       .    .    .    .    ,  184 

Remarks  on  Black  Die      .    ,    .    •  ... 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Of  the  Mixture  of  Blue  and  Red     •    ,    .    .  187 

CHAPTER  XIX, 

Of  the  Mixture  of  Blue  and  Yellow  >  191 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Of  the  Mixture  of  Blue  and  Brown    .    ,        .    1 9-^ 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

Of  the  Mixture  of  Blue  and  Black  . 

A-2 


197 


XVIII 


CONTENTti 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

Of  the  Mixture  of  Red  and  Yellow       .    *    .  19S 

CHAPTER  XXm. 

Of  the  Mixture  of  Red  and  Brown   .    •    ^    .  201 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Of  the  Mixture  of  Yellow  and  Brown       .    .  202 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

Of  the  Mixture  of  Brown  and  Black    .    .    .  203 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Of  the  Mixture  of  the  prfmitive  Colours  taken 

three  by  three   .    •    .  205 

Variety  of  Carnation  Colours  207 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Of  the  Manner  of  mixing  Wool  of  diiFerent  . 
Colours,  for  cloth,  or  mixed  Colours,  (Co- 
lours mixed  in  the  Loom.)      .    .    •    .    .  210 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

Of  the  method  of  preparing  the  Pattern  Felts,  or 

Mixture  for  an  Essay  212 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

Of  Polish  Red    ....    ,    .        *    ,    .  21$ 


CONTENTS, 


XIX 


PART  IL 

OF  THE  LESSER  DIe\ 


CHAPTER  I. 

Of  the  dicing  of  W ool  by  the  Lesser  Die    .    .  2i7 

CHAPTER  II. 

Of  the  dicing  of  Flock  or  Goat's  Hail*  .  ,  .  220 
Sulphuring  of  Wool    ........  227 

The  Theory  of  the  Dissolution  of  Flock    ,  22S 

CHAPTER  III. 

Of  tlie  Manner  of  using  Archil  .  .  ^  -  .  231 
Bastard  scarlet  by  Archil.        ......  234 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Of  Logwood  or  Campeachy   ......  237 

The  Raven  Grey  v   •    •    •  24i 

CHAPTER  V. 

Of  Saxon  Blue  and  Green      .....     .  242 

Blue  on  Cloth,  Stuff,  or  Yarn   ib, 

Chymic  for  Green   *    .    *  243 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Of  Brazil  Wood  ,    .    .  245 

CHAPTER  VH. 

Of  Fustic      ,    i    .    .    ;    i    .    •    *    .    •  24a 


XX 


CONTENTS, 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
Of  Roucou    .     .     .     .     .     .     .  25  i 

CHAPTER  IXV 

Of  the  Grains  of  Avignon  .    .    .  252 

CHAPTER  X. 

Of  Turmeric-  .    .    ,  .  253 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Of  Silver  Grey    ..........  255 

Aaotlier  excellent  Silver  Die  ,  »  .  .  .  25G 
Instructions  on  the  proof  of  dyed  Wool  and 

Woollen  StufFs    .    .    .    .    ,    .    .    .    .  256 


PART  III. 

ADDITIONAL  ARTICLES, 


CHAPTER  I, 

Of  Flowers  267 

Of  Blue  Flowers     -    -    -    -  -        -  268 

Of  Red  and  Yellow  Flowers     -    -  -    -    .  270 

Of  White  Flowers   -  2T3 

CHAPTER  II. 

Of  Fruits       -   -    -    -  273 

CHAPTi:R  III, 

Of  Leaves  27;^ 


CONTENTS.  XXi 
CHAPTER  IV. 

Mr.  Lewis's  History  of  Madder,  and  Manner 
of  treating  it  .^--.«-.-28i 

CHAPTER 

Of  Fustic   -   285 

CHAPTER  VI, 

Of  Nephritic  Wood       ...-..  -286 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Mr.  Ferguson's  History  of  Logwood  as  a. 
Colouring  Drug    -  -  287 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  Process  of  Prussian  Blue  289 

CHAPTER  IX, 

Of  Alkanet  Root  ^  ^   .  232 

CHAPTER  X. 

Of  Alum    .   -    .    -  294 

CHAPTER  XL 

Chymical  History  of  Saunders,  and  its  Dif- 
ference from  other  Red- Woods    .    -    -    -  295 

CHAPTER  XII. 
Of  Verdigrise      -  297 


THE 

Wtt's  Assistant 


IN  THE 


ART  OF  DYING, 


THE 


DIER'S  ASSISTANT. 


PART  1. 


CHAPTER  I, 

OF  BLUE. 

OOL  and  woollen  stuffs  of  all  kinds,  are 


W  died  blue  without  any  other  prepanicioa 
than  wetting  them  well  in  luke-warm  water, 
squeezing  them  well  afterwards,  or  letting  them 
drain  :  this  precaution  is  necessary,  thac  the  co- 
lour may  the  more  easily  insinuate  itself  into  the 
body  of  the  wool,  that  it  may  be  equally  dis- 
persed throughout ;  nor  is  this  to  be  omitted 
in  any  kind  of  colours,  whether  the  subject  be 
v/ool  or  cloth. 

As  to  wool  in  the  fleece,  which  is  used  in  ma- 
nufacturing cloth,  as  well  the  mixt  as  other 
?^orts,  and  which  they  are  obliged  to  dye  before 


C 


26 


they  are  spun,  they  are  prepared  in  another 
manner,  viz.  they  are  scoured,  and  thereby  di- 
vested of  the  natural  fat  they  had  when  on  the 
body  of  the  animaP.  As  this  operation  is  pro- 
perly the  Dier's,  and  is  indispensable  in  wool 
which  is  to  be  died  before  it  is  spun,  let  the 
colour  be  what  it  will,  I  shall  give  the  proper 
process. 

This  operation  is  not  every  where  alike,  but 
this  is  the  method  followed  in  the  manufactory 
of  Audly  in  Normandy,  where  cloths  are  most 
beautifully  manufactured. 

A  copper  containing  twenty  pails  is  used  for 
this  purpose ;  they  put  twelve  pai-s  of  water, 
and  four  of  urine,  (which  is  generally  ferment- 
ed), the  copper  is  heated,  and  when  the  liquor  is 
so  hot  as  to  bear  the  hand  without  scalding, 
ten  or  twelve  pourjds  of  wool,  that  still  con- 
tains its  natural  fat,  are  put  in  and  left  in  the 
copper  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  stirring  from 
time  to  time  with  sticks;  it  is  then  taken  out 
and  put  to  drain  on  a  scray^  from  thence  it  is 
carried  in  a  large  square  basket,  and  placed  in 
running  water,  two  men  stirring  it  to  and  fro 
for  a  considerable  time  with  long  poles,  till  it 
is  entirely  cleansed  of  its  fat;  then  it  is  taken 
out  and  placed  in  a  basket  to  drain  :  while  this 
wool  is  thus  preparing,  a  like  quantity  may  be 
put  into  the  copper,  and  thus  proceed  till  the 
whole  is  scoured,  if  the  liquor  is  too  much  wast- 
ed, fresh  is  to  be  added,  made  up  of  one  part 

*  The  natural  fat  adhering  to  the  wool  preserves  it  in  the 
warehouse,  and  also  from  moths. 


27 


urine  and  three  parts  waten  They  generally 
scour  a  bale  of  wool  at  once;  if  it  weighed 
2501b.  in  the  fat,  it  generally  loses  6olb.  in 
scouring  ;  but  this  diminution  of  weight  varies 
in  proportion  to  the  wool  being  more  or  less 
scoured,  and  in  proportion  to  the  more  or  less 
fat  contained  therein.  Too  much  attention 
cannot  be  paid  to  the  scouring,  as  it  is  thereby 
better  disposed  for  the  reception  of  the  dye. 

The  fat,  which  is  an  oily  transudation,  and 
slightly  partaking  of  the  quality  of  urine  retain- 
ed by  the  fleece,  which  is  too  thick  to  let  it  out, 
is  soluble  in  water,  consequently,  as  water  alone 
could  not  separate  it,  a  fourth  part  of  urine  is 
put  into  the  copper,  which  must  have  been  kept 
some  days,  in  order  to  separate  its  volatile  salts 
by  fermentation ;  (I  mean  that  it  is  necessary 
this  urine  should  begin  to  acquire  a  strong 
smell)  ;  this  volatile  salt,  being  an  alkali,  forms 
with  the  fat  a  kind  of  soap,  vvhich  is  always  the 
result  of  all  oils  and  alkalis  whatsoever  mixed 
together.  As  soon  as  soap  is  formed  by  the 
combination  of  these  two  principles,  it  becomes 
soluble  in  water,  and  is  consequently  easily  car- 
ried off,  A  proof  that  a  true  soap  has  been 
formed  in  this  operation,  is^  that  the  water  which 
carries  it  away,  v/hitens  as  long  as  any  fat  is 
separated  from  the  wool  :  if  there  was  a  suffi- 
cient quantity  of  fermented  urine  in  the  copper, 
the  wool  v/ill  be  well  scoured ;  if  it  was  not, 
all  the  fat  would  not  be  changed  into  soap,  and 
consequently  the  wool  will  remain  greasy.  The 
same  operation  might  be  performed  with  fixed 


2a 


alkalis,  as  with  the  lee  of  pot-ash  or  pearl-ashes: 
but  as  this  lee  would  not  only  come  dearer  than 
urine,  it  might  also  damage  the  wool,  if  the 
exact  proportion  was  not  applied.  I  am  con- 
vinced by  several  experiments,  that  these  caus- 
tic salts  do  easily  destroy  all  animal  substances^ 
as  wool,  silk,  &c. 

I  beg  the  reader  may  take  notice,  that  though 
in  the  sequel  I  do  not  mention  this  operation  of 
scouring,  it  is  nevertheless  necessary  for  all 
wool  that  is  to  be  died  before  it  is  spun,  as  also 
that  it  is  necessary  to  wet  those  that  are  spun, 
and  scuffs  of  all  kinds,  that  the  colour  may  be 
the  more  equally  diffused  throughout. 

Of  the  five  primary  colours  m,entioned  in  the 
preface,  two  of  them  require  a  preparation 
given  by  noncolouring  ingredients,  which,  by 
the  acidity  and  fineness  of  their  earth,  dispose 
the  pores  of  the  wool  to  receive  the  colour.  This 
is  called  the  preparation ;  it  varies  according  to 
the  nature  of  shades  and  colours :  the  red,  the 
yellow,  and  the  colours  derived  from  them 
must  be  so  treated  black  must  have  a  prepa- 
ration peculiar  to  itself;  blue  aiid  brown  re- 
quire none;  it  is  sufiicient  that  the  wool  be 
thoroughly  scoured  and  wetted ;  and  even  for 
blue,  it  suffices  to  dip  it  into  the  vat,  stirring 
it  vvell,  and  letting  it  remain,  more  or  less,  ac- 
cording as  the  ground  of  the  colour  is  v/anted. 
For  this  reason,  and  also  that  many  colours 
previously  require  a  blue  shade  to  be  given  to 
the  wool,  I  shall  begin  with  it,  and  give  there- 
on the  most  exact  rules  in  my  power.    It  is  an 


29 


easy  matter  to  dye  wool  blue,  when  the  vat  is 
once  prepared,  but  it  is  not  so  easy  to  prepare 
the  vat,  which  is  the  most  difficult  part  of  the 
Dier's  art.  In  all  the  other  processes,  it  is  suf- 
ficient CO  follow  the  simple  operations  transmit- 
ted from  masters  to  apprentices.  Three  ingre- 
dients are  used  in  the  blue  die,  viz.  garden- 
woad  or  pastel,  the  woad,  and  the  indigo.  I 
shall  give  the  preparation  of  each,  beginning 
with  the  garden-woad. 


CHAPTER  in 


OF   THE   GARDEN-WOAD,   OR  PASTEL-WOAD. 

THE  garden-woad  is  a  plant  cultivated  in 
many  parts  of  Holland  and  France,  and 
might  be  in  England  or  Ireland,  to  the  great 
advantage  of  the  husbandman  j  it  is  made  up 
in  bales,  generally  weighing  from  one  hundred 
and  fifty  pounds  to  two  hundred  ;  ic  resembles 
little  clods  of  dryed  earth,  interwoven  with  the 
fibres  of  plants;  it  is  gathered  at  a  proper  sea-^ 
son,  and  laid  up  to  rot,  and  then  vnade  into 
small  i^alls  to  dry.  Several  circumstances  are 
to  be  observed  in  this  preparation  j  on  this  you 
may  see  the  regulations  of  Mons.  Colbert  on 
Dies;  the  best  prepared  comes  from  the  dio- 
cese of  Alby  in  France. 

C  a 


so 


The  Vat  set  to  work. 

A  copper  as  near  as  possible  to  the  vat  Is  fil- 
led with  water  that  has  stood  for  some  time,  or, 
if  such  water  is  not  at  hand,  a  handful  of 
Dier's  woad  or  hay  is  added  to  the  water,  with 
eight  pounds  of  crust  of  fat  madder.  If  the  old 
liquor  from  a  vat  that  has  been  used  in  dicing 
from  madder  can  be  procured,  it  will  save  the 
madder,  and  produce  a  better  effect. 

The  copper  being  filled,  and  the  fire  lighted 
about  three  in  the  morning,  it  must  boil  an 
hour  and  a  quarter,  (some  diers  boil  it  from 
two  hours  and  a  half  to  three)  \  it  is  then  con- 
veyed by  a  spout  into  the  woad  vat,  in  which 
has  been  previously  put  a  peck  of  wheaten 
bran.  Whilst  the  boiling  liquor  is  emptying 
into  the  vat,  the  balls  of  woad  must  be  put 
one  after  another  into  the  vat,  that  they  may 
be  the  easier  broken,  raked  and  stirred  ;  this 
is  to  be  continued  till  all  the  liot  liquor  from 
the  copper  is  run  into  the  vat,  which,  when  lit-- 
tie  more  than  half  full,  must  be  covered  with 
cloths  somewhat  larger  than  its  circumference, 
so  that  it  may  be  covered  as  close  as  possible, 
and  left  in  this  state  for  four  hours.  I  hen  it 
must  be  aired,  that  is,  uncovered  to  be  raked, 
and  fresh  air  let  in  \i\  and  to  each  bale  of  woad, 
a  good  measure  of  ware  flung  in ;  this  is  a  con- 
cealed name  for  lime  that  has  been  slacked. 
This  measure  is  a  kind  of  wooden  shovel, 
which  serves  to  measure  the  lime  grossly  \  it  is 
five  inches  broad  and  three  inches  and  a  half 


3^ 

iong,  containing  near  a  good  handfui ;  the 
lime  being  scattered  in,  and  the  vac  well 
raked,  it  must  be  again  covered,  leaving  a  lit- 
tle spxct  of  about  four  fingers  open,  to  let  in 
air.  Four  hours  after,  she  nnust  be  raked, 
without  serving  her  with  lime  i  the  cover  is  then 
put  on,  leaving,  as  before,  an  opening  for  the 
air ;  in  this  manner  she  must  be  let  to  stand 
for  two  or  three  hours.  Then  she  may  be 
raked  well  again,  if  she  is  not  yet  come  to 
work ;  that  is,  if  she  does  not  cast  blue  at  her 
surface,  and  that  she  works  or  ferments  still, 
which  may  be  known  by  raking  and  plunging 
with  the  flat  of  the  rake  in  the  vat ;  being  well 
raked,  she  is  to  remain  still  for  one  hour  and  a 
half  more,  carefully  observing  whether  she  casts 
blue.  She  is  then  to  be  served  with  water,  and 
the  quantity  of  indigo  judged  necessary  is  to  be 
put  in  :  it  is  commonly  used  in  a  liquid  state^ 
the  full  of  a  dye-house  kettle  for  each  bale  of 
woad ;  the  vat  being  filled  within  six  finger- 
breadths  of  her  brim,  is  to  be  raked  and  co- 
vered as  before  ;  an  hour  after  filling  her  with 
water,  she  m.ust  be  served  with  lime,  viz.  two 
measures  of  lime  for  each  bale  of  woad,  giving 
more  or  less  according  to  the  quality  of  the 
woad,  and  what  may  be  judged  it  will  spend 
or  take  of  lime. 

I  hope  the  reader  will  excuse  my  plainness 
this  treatise  being  wrote  for  the  dier,  1  must 
speak  the  language  he  is  used  to ;  the  philoso- 
pher will  easily  substitute  proper  terms,  which 
perhaps  the  workman  would  not  understand. 


3^ 

There  are  kinds  of  woad  readier  prepared  than 
others,  o  that  general  and  precise  l  ulcs  can- 
not be  given  on  diis  head,  it  muse  also  be  re- 
marked, that  the  Tune  is  not  to  be  put  into  the 
vat  till  she  has  been  well  raked. 

The  vat  beino  ao;ain  covered,  three  hours 
after  a  p.utern  must  be  put  in,  and  kept  en- 
tiiely  covered  for  an  hour ;  it  is  then  taken  out 
to  judge  if  she  be  fit  to  work.  If  she  is,  the 
pattern  must  come  out  green,  and  on  being  ex- 
posed  a  minute  to  the  air,  acquire  a  blue  co- 
lour. If  the  vat  gives  a  good  green  to  thf  pat- 
tern, she  must  be  raked,  served  with  one  or 
two  aieasures  oflime,  and  covered. 

Three  hours  aUer,  she  must  be  raked,  and 
served  with  what  lime  may  be  judged  neces- 
sary ;  she  is  then  to  be  covered,  and  one  hour 
and  a  half  after>  the  vat  being  pitched  or  set- 
tled, a  pattern  is  put  in,  vvhich  must  ren^ain 
an  hour  to  see  the  effects  of  the  woad.  If  the 
pattern  is  of  a  fine  green,  and  that  it  turns  to  a 
deep  blue  in  the  air,  another  must  be  dipt  in  to 
be  certain  of  the  effect  of  the  vat.  If  this  pat- 
tern is  deep  enough  in  colour,  let  the  vat  be 
filled  up  with  hot  water,  or  if  at  hand,  with  old 
liquor  of  madder,  and  rake  her  well.  Should 
the  vat  still  want  lime,  serve  her  with  such  a 
quantity  as  you  may  judge  sufficient  by  the 
smell  and  handling.  This  done,  she  must  be 
again  covered,  and  one  hour  after  put  in  your 
stuffs,  and  make  your  overture.  This  i.s  the 
term  used  for  the  first  working  of  wool  or  stufis 
in  a  new  vat. 


33 


Marks  hy  which  you  raay  know  how  to  conduct 
a  Vat  regularly. 

A  vat  is  fit  to  work  when  the  grounds  are  of 
a  green  brown,  when  it  changes,  on  its  being 
taken  out  of  the  vat,  when  the  flurry  is  of  a 
fine  Turkish  or  deep  blue,  and  when  the  pat- 
tern, which  has  been  dipt  in  it  for  an  hour, 
comes  out  of  a  fine  deep  grass  green.  When 
she  is  fit  to  work,  the  bever  ha?  a  good  appear- 
ance, clear  and  reddish,  and  the  drops  and 
edges  that  are  formed  under  the  rake  in  lifting 
up  the  bever  are  brown.  Examining  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  bever,  is  lifting  up  the  liquor 
with  the  hand  or  rake,  to  see  what  colour  the 
liquor  of  the  vat  lias  under  its  surface.  The 
sediment  or  grounds  must  change  colour  (as 
has  been  already  observed)  at  being  taken  out 
of  the  bever,  and  must  grow  brown  by  being 
exposed  to  the  external  air.  The  bever  or  li- 
quor must  feel  neither  too  rough  nor  too 
greasy,  and  must  not  smell  either  of  lime  or 
lee.  These  are  the  distinguishing  marks  of  a 
vat  that  is  fit  to  work. 

How  to  know  when  a  Vat  is  cracked  hy  too  great 
or  too  small  a  quantity  of  Lime ;  extremes 
which  must  he  avoided. 

When  more  lime  has  been  put  in  than  was 
sufficient  for  the  woad,  it  is  easily  perceived  by 
dipping  in  a  pattern,  which,  instead  of  turning 
to  a  beautiful  grass  green,  is  only  daubed  with 


34 


a  sfeely  green.  The  grounds  do  not  change, 
the  vat  gives  scarcely  any  flurry,  and  the  bever 
has  a  strong  odour  of  quick  lime,  or  its  lees. 

This  error  is  rectified  by  thinning  the  vat, 
in  which  the  diers  differ;  some  use  tartar, 
others  bran,  of  which  they  throw  a  bushel  into 
the  vat,  more  or  less  in  proportion  to  the  quan- 
tity of  lime  used,  others  a  pail  of  urine.  In 
some  places  a  large  iron  chafing  dish  is  made 
use  of,  long  enough  to  reach  from  the  ground 
to  the  top  of  the  vat,  this  chafing-dish  or  fur- 
nace has  a  grace  at  a  foot  distance  from  its  bot- 
tom, and  a  funnel  coming  from  under  this 
grate,  and  ascending  to  the  top  of  the  chafing- 
dish,  which  is  to  give  air  to,  and  kindle  the 
coals  which  are  placed  on  the  grate.  This  fur- 
nace is  sunk  in  the  vat,  near  to  the  surface  of 
the  grounds,  so  as  not  to  touch  them,  and  is 
fastened  with  iron  bars  to  prevent  its  rising. 
By  this  method  the  lime  is  raised  to  the  surface 
of  the  liquor,  which  gives  an  opportunity  to 
take  off  with  a  sieve  what  is  thought  superflu- 
ous ;  but  when  this  is  taken  out,  the  necessary 
quantity  of  ware  must  be  carefully  restored  to 
the  vat.  Others  again  thin  the  vat  with  pearl 
ashes,  or  tartar  boiled  in  stale  urine  ;  but  the 
best  cure,  when  she  is  too  hard,  is,  to  put  in 
bran  and  madder  at  discretion  ;  and  if  she  be 
but  a  little  too  hard,  it  will  suffice  to  let  her  re- 
main quiet  four,  five,  or  six  hours,  or  more, 
putting  in  only  two  hats  full  of  bran  and  three 
or  four  pounds  of  madder,  which  are  to  be 
lightly  strewed  on  the  vat,  after  which  it  is  to 


35 


be  covered.  Four  or  five  hours  after,  she  is  to 
be  raked  and  plunged,  and  according  to  the 
colour,  that  the  flurry  which  arises  from  this 
motion,  assumes  and  imprints  on  the  whole  li- 
quor, a  fresh  proof  is  made  by  putting  in  a 
pattern. 

If  she  is  cracked,  and  casts  blue  only  when 
she  is  cold,  she  must  be  left  undisturbed,  some- 
times whole  days  without  raking;  when  she 
begins  to  strike  a  tolerable  pattern,  her  liquor 
must  be  reheated  or  warmed  ;  then  commonly 
the  lime,  which  seemed  to  have  lost  all  power 
to  excite  a  fermentation,  acquires  nc^  strength, 
and  prevents  the  vat  from  yielding  its  die  so 
soon.  If  she  is  to  be  hastened,  some  bran  and 
madder  are  to  be  thrown  on,  as  also  one  or  two 
baskets  of  new  woad,  which  helps  the  liquor 
that  has  been  reheated  to  spend  its  lime. 

Care  must  be  taken  to  put  patterns  in  each 
hour,  in  order  to  judge,  by  the  green  colour 
which  they  acquire,  how  the  lime  is  worked 
on.  By  these -crials  she  may  be  conducted  with 
more  exactness,  for  when  once  a  vat  is  cracked, 
by  too  great  or  too  small  a  quantity  of  lime, 
she  is  brought  to  bear  with  much  more  diffi- 
culty. If  while  you  are  endeavouring  to  bring 
her  to  work,  the  bever  grows  a  little  too  cold,  it 
must  be  heated  by  taking  off  some  of  the  clear, 
and  instead  thereof,  adding  some  warm  wa- 
ter ;  for  when  the  bever  is  cold,  the  woad 
spends  little  or  no  lime ;  when  it  is  too  hot,  it 
retards  the  action  of  the  woad,  and  prevents 
it  from  spending  the  lime ;  therefore  it  is  better 


36 


to  wait  a  little,  than  to  hasten  the  vats  to  connc 
to  work  when  they  are  cracked,  A  var  is 
known  not  ro  have  been  sufficiently  served  with 
linne,  and  that  she  is  cracked,  when  the  bever 
gives  no  flurry,  but  instead  thereof  gives  only 
a  scum,  and  when  she  is  plunged  or  raked,  she 
only  works,  ferments  and  liisses,  (this  noise  is 
made  by  a  great  number  of  air  bubbles  that 
burse  as  soon  as  they  form),  the  liquor  has  also 
the  smell  of  a  c  iv  non  sewer  or  sink,  or  rotten 
eggs;  it  is  harsh  and  dry  to  the  touch:  the 
grounds  when  taken  out  do  not  change,  which 
generally  happens  when  a  vat  is  cracked  for 
want  of  lime.  This  accident  is  chiefly  to  be 
apprehended  when  a  vat  is  opened  and  a  dip 
made  in  her ;  for  if  her  state  has  not  been  look- 
ed into,  both  in  regard  to  the  smell  as  well  as 
raking  and  plunging,  and  that  the  stufi^s  be  im- 
prudently put  in  when  the  woad  has  spent  its 
lime,  It  is  ro  be  feared  the  vat  may  be  lost ;  for 
the  stuff^s  being  put  in,  the  small  quantity  of 
lime  that  still  remains  in  a  stale  to  act,  sticks 
to  them,  the  bever  is  divested  of  it,  and  the 
stuffs  only  blotted  ;  these  must  be  immediately 
taken  out,  and  a  quick  remedy  applied  to  the 
vat,  to  preserve  the  remaining  part  of  the  die, 
which  is  done  by  putting  in  three  or  four  mea- 
sures of  lime,  more  or  less,  according  as  the 
vat  is  cracked,  and  that  without  raking  her  bot- 
tom. 

It  is  also  to  be  observed,  that  if  in  raking 
and  plunging  the  fermentation  ceases,  and  the 
bad  smell  change,  it  is  then  to  be  supposed 


37 


that  the  bever  or  liquor  alone  has  suffered,  and 
that  the  grounds  are  not  yet  in  wanr.  When 
the  fernnentation  is  in  part  or  totally  abated,  and 
the  bever  has  a  smell  of  lime,  and  feels  soft  to 
the  couch,  the  vat  is  to  be  covered  and  left  at 
rest;  and  if  the  flurry  still  remains  on  the  vat 
an  hour  and  a  half,  a  pattern  is  to  be  put  in, 
which  must  be  taken  out  one  hour  after,  and 
you  are  to  be  guided  according  to  the  green 
ground  it  will  take.  But  generally  vats  that 
are  thus  cracked,  are  not  so  soon  brought  to  a 
state  fit  for  dieing. 

The  Opening  of  the  Vat. 

The  vat  being  come  to  work,  the  cross  must 
be  let  down,  and  about  thirty  ells  of  cloth,  or 
the  equivalent  of  its  weight  of  wool  well  scour- 
ed, { which  is  first  intended  to  be  died  of  a  Per- 
sian blue  to  make  a  black  afterwards),  having 
returned  this  stirring  several  times,  which  muse 
have  always  been  covered  with  liquor,  the  cloth 
must  be  twisted  on  the  rings  fastened  to  the 
jack  at  the  top  of  the  vat;  if  it  be  wool,  it  is 
to  be  dipt  with  a  net,  which  will  starve  to  wring 
it:  the  cloth  must  be  opened  by  its  lists  to  air 
it,  and  to  cool  the  green,  that  is,  to  make  it 
lose  the  green  colour  it  had  coming  out  of  the 
vat,  and  take  the  blue.  If  this  cloth  or  wool 
w^as  not  deep  enough  for  a  mazarine  blue  by 
the  first  dipping,  it  must  get  another,  by  re- 
turning into  the  vat  the  end  of  the  picct-  of 
doth  which  first  came  out ;  and  according  to 


38 


the  strength  of  the  woad,  you  must  give  to 
this  striking  two  or  three  returns,  as  may  be 
thought  necessary  for  the  intensity  of  the  blue 
required.  If  the  woad  be  good,  such  as  the 
true  L'Auragais  is  commonly,  after  taking  out 
the  first  stirring,  a  second  may  be  put  in  at  this 
first  opening  of  the  vat.  Afcer  making  this 
opening,  which  is  also  called  the  first  raking,  the 
vat  is  to  be  again  raked,  and  served  with  lime 
at  discretion,  observing  that  it  has  the  smell 
and  touch  conformable  to  what  has  been  laid 
down  before,  and  taking  notice,  that  in  pro- 
portion as  the  die  diminishes,  so  does  the 
strength  of  the  woad. 

If  the  vat  be  in  good  order  at  the  first  open- 
ing, three  or  four  stirrings  may  be  made,  and 
the  next  day,  two  or  three  more,  only  obser- 
ving not  to  hurry  her,  or  to  work  her  as  strong 
as  at  first.  That  the  vat  may  turn  to  as  much 
profit  as  possible  for  the  shades  of  blue; 
first,  all  stufis  intended  to  be  black,  are  died ; 
then  the  king's  blue  j  after  these  the  green 
brown  :  the  violets  and  Turkish  blues  are  com- 
monly done  in  the  last  rakings  of  the  second 
day  of  the  opening.  The  third  day,  if  the 
vat  appears  much  diminished,  she  miust  be  fil- 
led with  hot  water  within  four  inches  of  the 
brim.    This  is  called  filling  the  vat. 

The  latter  end  of  the  wetk,  the  light  blues 
are  made,  and  on  Saturday  night,  having  raked 
the  vat,  she  is  to  be  served  a  little  more  than 
the  preceding  day,  that  she  may  keep  till  Mon- 
day. 


39 


Monday  morning  the  bever  is  put  on  the 
fire,  by  passing  it  from  the  vat  into  the  copper 
by  a  trough,  which  rests  on  both;  this  clear 
bever  is  emptied  to  the  grounds,  and  when  it 
is  ready  to  boil  it  must  be  returned  into  the  vat, 
raking  the  grounds,  as  the  hot  liquor  falls 
from  the  trough  ;  at  the  same  time  may  be  ad- 
ded a  kettleful  of  prepared  indigo. 

When  the  vat  is  filled  within  four  inches  of 
the  brim,  and  well  raked,  she  must  be  cover- 
ed, and  two  hours  after  a  pattern  put  in,  which 
must  remain  not  more  than  an  hour ;  lime  must 
be  added  according  to  the  shade  of  the  green, 
which  this  proof  pattern  shall  have  taken,  and 
at  the  expiration  of  an  hour  or  two,  if  the  vac 
has  not  suffered,  the  stuff  is  to  be  put  in;  ha- 
ving conducted  it  between  two  waters  for  about 
half  an  hour  it  is  wrung,  and  a  dip  is  again 
given  to  it,  as  was  done  in  the  new  vat.  This 
vat  heated  again,  is  conducted  in  the  same 
manner,  that  is,  three  rakings  are  made  the 
first  day,  observing  at  each  raking,  whether 
she  wanti  lime;  for  in  this  case,  the  quantity 
judged  necessary  must  be  given. 

Blue  made  of  woad  alone,  according  to  the 
opinion  of  some  persons  prejudiced  in  favour 
of  old  custom.s,  is  much  better  than  that  which 
the  woad  gives  with  the  addition  of  indigo. 
But  then  this  blue  would  be  much  dearer,  be- 
cause woad  gives  much  less  die  than  indigo, 
and  it  has  been  found  by  repeated  experience, 
that  four  pounds  of  fine  indigo  from  Guati- 
mala,  produced  as  much  as  a  bale  of  Albi- 


40 


geois  woad  or  pastel ;  and  five  pounds  as  much 
as  a  bale  from  L'Auragais,  which  generally 
weighs  two  hundred  and  ten  pounds.  So  the 
using  of  the  indigo  with  the  woad  is  a  great 
saving,  as  one  vat  with  indigo  shall  die  as  much 
as  three  without  it. 

Indigo  is  generally  put  into  new  vats  after 
the  woad  yields  its  blue,  and  a  quarter  or  half 
after  she  is  to  be  served  with  lime^  as  this  so- 
lution of  indigo  is  already  impregnated  v^ith 
some  of  its  dissolution,  the  lime  must  be  given 
with  a  more  sparing  hand  than  where  the  woad 
is  used  alone.  At  the  re-heating,  the  indigQ 
is  put  in  on  Saturday  night,  that  it  may  incor- 
porate with  the  bever,  and  that  it  may  serve  as 
garnish  by  its  lime.  The  indigo  that  is  brought 
from  Guatimala  in  America  is  the  best ;  it  is 
brought  over  in  the  shape  of  sm.all  stones,  and 
of  a  deep  blue ;  it  must  be  of  a  deep  violet 
colour  within  and  when  rubbed  on  the  nail, 
have  a  copper  hue  ;  the  lightest  is  the  best.  It 
is  necessary  to  observe,  that  for  the  better  con- 
ducting of  a  woad  vat,  and  to  prevent  acci- 
dents, a  manufacturer  ought  to  have  a  good 
woadm,an,  this  is  the  name  given  to  the  jour- 
neyman dier,  whose  principal  business  is  to 
conduct  the  woad  j  practice  has  taught  him 
more  than  this  treatise  can  furnish. 

I  shall  make  some  reflections  necessary  to 
attain  a  more  perfect  knowledge  of  this  process. 
The  woa.;  vat  must  never  be  re- heated  but 
when  fit  for  working;  that  is,  she  must  have 
neither  too  much  nor  too  little  lime,  but  be  in 


4^ 

such  a  state  as  only  to  want  heating  to  confie 
to  v;ork.  It  is  known  she  has  too  much  lime 
(as  has  been  before  observed)  by  the  quick 
smell ;  on  the  contrary,  a  want  is  known  by 
the  svv^j-ecish  smtrll,  and  by  the  scum  which 
rises  on  the  surface  by  raking,  being  of  a  pale 
blue. 

Care  must  be  taken  when  a  vat  is  intended 
to  be  re- heated,  not  to  serve  her  with  lime  in 
the  evening,  (unless  in  great  want  of  it)  for  if 
she  was  too  much  served  with  it,  she  might 
next  day  be  too  hard,  as  the  diers  term  it;  for 
by  heating  her  again,  a  greater  action  is  given 
to  the  lime,  and  makes  her  spend  it  the  quicker. 
Fresh  indigo  is  commonly  put  into  the  vat, 
each  time  she  is  re  heated,  in  proportion  to 
the  quantity  to  be  died.  It  would  be  needless 
to  put  in  any,  if  there  was  but  little  work  to 
do,  or  only  light  colours  wanted.  It  was  not 
permitted  by  the  ancient  regulations  of  France^ 
to  put  more  than  six  pounds  of  indigo  to  each 
bale  of  woad,  because  the  colour  of  the  indigo 
was  thought  not  lasting,  and  that  it  was  only 
the  great  quantity  of  woad  which  could  secure 
and  render  it  good ;  but  it  is  now  ascertained, 
borh  by  the  experiments  of  Monsieur  Dufay, 
and  those  which  I  have  since  made,  that  the 
colour  of  indigo,  even  used  alone,  is  full  as 
good,  and  resists  as  much  the  action  of  the  air^ 
sun,  and  rain,  as  that  of  pastel  or  woad. 

When  a  vat  has  been  heated  two  or  three 
times,  and  a  good  part  has  been  worked  oifF, 
the  same  liquor  is  often  preserved,  but  part 

D  2. 


42 


the  grounds  are  taken  out,  which  is  replaced 
by  newwoad;  (this  is  called  vamping) ;  the 
quantity  cannot  be  prescribed  on  this  occasion, 
for  it  depends  upon  the  work  the  dier  has  to 
do.  Practice  will  teach  all  that  can  be  wished 
for  on  this  head.  There  are  diers  who  pre- 
serve liquor  in  their  vats  several  years,  renew- 
ing them  with  woad  and  indigo  in  proportion 
as  they  work  them ;  others  empty  the  vat  en- 
tirely, and  change  the  liquor  when  the  vat  has 
been  heated  six  or  seven  times,  and  that  she 
.gives  no  more  die.  A  series  of  practice  alone 
will  show  which  of  these  is  preferable.  It  is 
however  more  reasonable  to  think,  that  by  re- 
newing it  now  and  then,  more  lively  and  beau- 
tiful colours  may  be  obtained,  and  the  best 
diers  follow  this  method. 

In  Holl  ind  they  have  vats  which  do  not  re- 
quire to  be  so  often  heated.  Mr.  Van  Robbais 
had  some  of  these  made  some  years  since  for 
their  royal  manufactory  at  Abbeville.  The 
upper  parrs  of  these  vats,  to  the  height  of  three 
feet,  are  of  copper,  and  the  rest  lead.  They 
are  also  surrounded  with  a  small  brick  wall,  at 
seven  or  eight  inches  from  the  copper,  in  this 
interval  embers  are  put,  which  keep  up  the 
heat  of  the  vat  a  long  rime,  so  that  she  remains 
several  days  together  in  a  condition  to  be  work- 
ed, without  the  trouble  of  heating  her  over 
again.  These  vats  are  much  more  costly  than 
the  others,  but  they  are  very  convenient,  espe- 
cially for  the  dipping  of  very  light  colours  ; 
because  the  vat  is  always  fit  to  work,  though 


45 


she  be  very  weak;  this  is  not  the  case  of  the 
others,  which  generally  make  the  colour  a 
great  deal  deeper  than  required,  unless  they  are 
scrt  to  cool  considerably,  and  then  ic  happens 
that  the  colour  is  not  so  good,  nor  has  it  the 
same  brightness.  To  make  these  light  colours 
in  common  vats,  it  is  better  to  work  some  pur- 
posely that  are  strong  with  woad  and  weak  of 
indigo;  such  give  their  colours  slower,  and 
light  colours  are  m  ide  with  greater  ease. 

As  to  the  vats  made  a^'ter  the  Dutch  fashion, 
and  which  have  already  been  mentioned,  the 
four  which  Mr.  Van  Robbais  has  in  his  manu- 
factory, are  six  feet  in  depth,  of  which  three 
feet  and  a  half  in  the  upper  part  are  copper, 
and  the  two  feet  and  a  half  of  the  bottom  are 
lead.  The  diameter  at  the  bottom  is  four  feet 
and  a  half,  and  that  at  the  top  five  feet  four 
inches. 

To  return  to  the  observations  on  heating 
the  cominon  vats.  If  the  vat  was  heated  when 
cracked,  that  is,  when  she  has  not  quite  lime 
enough,  she  would  turn  in  the  heating  without 
being  perceived,  and  perchance  be  entirely 
lost,  as  the  heat  would  soon  finish  the  spend- 
ing of  the  rnr*e,  which  was  in  too  small  a  quan- 
tity. If  this  is  perceived  in  time,  it  must  be 
helped  by  pouring  it  back  into  che  vat  without 
more  heating;  then  feed  her  with  lime,  and 
not  heat  her  till  she  is  come  to  work. 

On  the  re-heating,  some  ot  the  grounds 
must  be  put  into  the  copper  with  the  liquor  or 
bever ;  and  great  care  must  be  taken  not  m 


44 


boil  it,  because  the  volatile  necessary  ui  this 
operation  would  evaporate.  There  are  some 
diers,  who,  in  heating  their  vats,  do  not  put 
in  the  indigo  immediately  after  the  liquor  is 
poured  from  the  copper  into  the  vat,  but  wait 
some  hours  till  they  see  her  come  to  work  : 
this  they  do  as  a  precaution,  lest  the  vat  should 
fail,  and  the  indigo  be  lost  j  but  by  this  m:ethod, 
the  indigo  does  not  so  freely  yield  its  colour, 
as  they  are  obliged  to  work  her  as  soon  as  she 
is  fit,  that  she  may  not  cool,  so  that  the  indi- 
go, not  being  entirely  dissolved,  nor  altoge- 
ther incorporated,  has  no  effect.  It  is  there- 
fore better  to  put  it  into  the  vat  at  the  san^e 
time  the  liquor  is  cast  in,  and  rake  her  well  af- 
ter. If  the  vat  is  heated  over  again  without 
her  coming  to  work,  she  o>ust  not  be  scummed 
as  in  the  common  heatings,  as  the  indigo  would 
be  carried  off  thereby,  whereas,  when  she  has 
worked,  this  scum  is  formed  of  the  earthy  part 
of  the  indigo  and  woad,  united  with  a  portion 
of  lime. 

When  too  much  lime  is  put  into  a  vat,  you 
must  wait  for  her  till  such  tiiDt  as  she  has  spent 
it,  or  it  may  be  accelerated  by  heating  ir>  or 
by  putting  in  ingredients  which  destroy  in  part 
the  aciion  of  the  lime,  such  as  tartar,  vinegar, 
honey,  bran,  some  mineral  acid,  or  any  mat- 
ter duit  will  become  sour;  but  all  these  cor- 
re^'tors  wear  out  the  die  of  the  indigo  and 
woad,  so  that  the  best  method  is,  to  let  it  spend 
of  Its  own  accord.  A  vat  is  not  commonly  fed 
with  lime,,  but  on  the  first,  second^  and  sqme- 


45 


rimes  the  third  day,  and  it  is  also  remarked, 
HOC  to  dip  the  violets,  purples,  or  any  other 
wool  or  stuffs  which  have  previously  a  colour 
that  may  be  easily  damaged  ;  the  succeeding 
day  after  its  being  fed  with  lime,  as  it  is  then 
too  active,  it  dulls  the  first  colour  ;  the  fifth  or 
sixth  day  the  crimson  may  be  dipt  to  give  them 
a  violet,  and  the  yellows  for  green  ;  following 
this  rule,  tht  colours  will  always  be  br^giu. 

When  a  vat  has  been  re-heated,  she  must 
come  to  work  before  she  is  served  with  lime; 
if  this  v;as  done  a  little  too  soon,  she  must  be 
cracked  ;  the  same  thing  would  happen  if  some 
of  the  grounds  were  put  into  the  copper.  The 
most  effectual  method  in  this  case  is  to  let  her 
rest  before  she  is  worked,  until  she  comes  to, 
which  often  happens  in  two,  three,  or  four 
hours,  and  sometimes  a  day.  By  using  light 
or  weak  lime,  she  grows  too  hard;  because 
this  light  lime  remains  in  the  liquor,  and  does 
not  incorporate  with  the  grounds.  This  is 
known  by  the  strong  smell  of  the  liquor,  and 
on  the  contrarv  the  <>rounds  have  a  sweetish 
smell,  whereas  the  smicll  ought  to  be  equal  in 
both-.  The  best  way  then  is,  to  let  it  spend 
itself,  by  raking  her  often,  in  order  to  mix  the 
lime  with  the  grounds,  until  the  smell  of  the 
vat  is  restored,  and  the  flurry  becomes  blue. 

A  woad  vat  may  be  set  without  the  addition 
of  indigo,  but  then  she  yields  but  little  co- 
lour, and  only  dies  a  small  quantity  of  wool  or 
stuffs  j  for  one  pound  of  indigo,  as  has  already 
been  observed,  affords  as  much  die  as  fifteen 


46 


or  sixteen  pounds  of  woad.  I  set  one  of^this 
kind  to  try  the  qualities  of  woad  by  itself,  and 
I  could  not  find  that  indigo  was  any  way  in- 
ferior to  ir,  either  for  the  beauty  or  solidity  of 
the  colour.  As  lime  is  always  used,  and  some- 
times  sour  liquors,  in  the  setting  of  a  vat,  this 
is  the  proper  place  to  speak  of  their  prepara- 
tion. 

Preparation  of  Lime. 

That  the  lime  may  be  properly  slacked  for 
the  dier's  use  several  pieces  are  immersed  in 
water,  one  after  another,  and  when  each  has 
remained  till  it  begins  to  crackle,  they  are 
taken  out  to  put  in  others,  and  after  this  man- 
ner they  are  cast  into  an  empty  vessel,  where 
the  lime  finishes  slacking,  and  reduces  itself 
to  powder,  considerably  augmenting  its  bulk; 
it  is  afterwards  sifted  through  a  canvas,  and 
kept  in  a  dry  hogshead. 

Sour  liquors  are  not  only  necessary  in  some 
circumstances  of  setting  a  woad  vat,  but  also 
in  some  of  the  preparations  given  to  wool  and 
stuff's  previous  to  their  being  died  ;  they  are 
prepared  after  the  following  manner  : 

Preparation  of  sour  Liquors. 

A  copper  of  the  size  required  is  filled  wich 
river  water,  and  when  it  boils,  it  is  flung  into 
a  hogshead,  where  a  sufficient  quantity  of  bran 
has  been  pur,  and  birred  with  a  stick  three  or 


47 


four  times  a  day.  The  proportion  of  bran  and 
water  is  not  very  mate'ial  5  1  have  made  a  good 
liquor  by  putting  three  bushels  of  bran  into  a 
vessel  containing  two  hundred  and  fourscore 
quarts.  Four  or  five  days  after,  this  water  be- 
comes sour,  and  consequently  fit  for  use  in  all 
cases,  where  it  will  not  be  detrimental  to  the 
preparations  of  wool  that  are  independent  of 
dieing. 

For  it  may  happen,  that  wool  in  the  fleece 
which  has  been  died  in  a  liquor  where  too  great 
a  quantity  of  sour  water  has  been  put,  will  be 
harder  to  spin,  as  the  sediment  of  the  bran 
forms  a  sort  of  starch  that  glues  the  fibres  of 
the  wool,  and  prevents  them,  from  forming  an 
even  thread.  I  must  here  take  notice  of  the 
bad  custom  of  letting  sour  liquors  remain  in 
copper-vessels,  as  I  have  seen  in  some  eminent 
die-houses  J  for  this  liquor  being  an  acid,  cor- 
rodes the  copper,  and  if  it  remains  long  enough 
to  take  in  a  portion  of  this  metal,  it  will  cause 
a  defect  both  in  the  die  and  in  the  quality  of 
the  stuff:  in  the  die,  because  the  d  ssolved 
copper  gives  a  greenish  case  5  in  the  quality  of 
the  stufi^,  because  the  copper  dissolved  preys 
on  all  animal  substances.  The  diers  are  often 
ignorant  of  the  cause  of  these  defects. 

I  flatter  myself  to  have  omitted  no  essential 
point  on  the  woad  vat :  if  any  difficulties  or  ac- 
cidents, which  I  have  mentioned,  are  not 
found  in  the  practice  they  are  noc  considerable, 
and  an  easy  remedy  will  be  found  by  those  who 


make  themselves  familiar  with  the  working 
parr. 

The  readers  who  have  no  idea  of  this  work, 
may  think  me  too  prolix,  and  find  repetitions; 
but  those  who  intend  to  make  use  of  what  I 
have  taught  in  this  chapter,  will  perhaps  re- 
proach me  for  not  having  said  enough  on  the 
subject. 

Those  that  read  this  chapter  with  attention, 
will  not  be  surprised  that  the  master-piece  for 
apprentices  to  diers  of  the  great  die,  is,  to  set 
the  woad  vat  and  Vv'ork  her. 


CHAPTER  IIL 


OF  THE   FIELD  WOAD  VAT. 


I HAVE  but  little  to  say  on  this  woad  vat, 
diiFcrent  from  that  which  has  been  related 
of  the  pastel  or  garden  woad.  The  woad  is  a 
plant  cultivated  in  Normandy,  and  prepared 
after  the  same  manner  the  garden  woad  is  in 
Languedoc.  The  method  of  cultivating  it 
may  be  seen  in  the  French"  General  Instruc- 
tions on  Dies,''  of  the  28th  of  March,  1671, 
from  the  article  259  to  288,  where  it  treats  of  the 
culture  and  preparation  of  the  pastel  and  woad. 
The  woad  vat  is  set  at  work  after  the  same 
manner  as  that  of  pastel ;  all  the  difference  is 


49 


that  it  has  less  strength  and  yields  less  die. 
There  follows  a  description  of  the  woad  vat, 
which  I  carried  on  in  small,  and  in  a  bath  hear, 
similar  to  that  of  the  pastel  in  the  foregoing 
chapter. 

I  placed  in  a  copper  a  small  vessel  containing 
fifty  quarts,  and  filled  two-thirds  with  a  liquor 
made  of  river  water,  one  ounce  of  madder, 
and  a  little  weld,  putting  in  at  the  same  time 
a  good  handful  of  wheaten  bran  and  five 
pounds  of  woad.  The  vat  was  well  raked  and 
covered;  it  was  then  five  in  the  evening;  it 
was  again  raked  at  seven,  nine,  twelve,  two, 
arid  four  o'clock ;  the  woad  was  then  work- 
ing, that  is,  the  vat  was  slowly  coming  to  work, 
as  1  have  already  related  of  that  of  the  pastel. 

Pretty  large  air  bubbles  formed  themselves, 
but  in  a  small  quantity,  and  had  scarcely  any 
colour.  She  was  then  se;  ved  with  two  ounces 
of  lime  and  raked.  At  five  o'clock  a  pattern 
v/as  put  in  ;  which  was  taken  out  at  six,  raking 
her ;  this  pattern  began  to  have  some  colour; 
another  was  put  in  at  seven,  at  eight  she  was 
raked,  and  the  pattern  came  out  pretty  bright  ^ 
an  ounce  of  indigo  was  then  put  in;  at  nine 
another  pattern,  at  ten  she  was  raked,  and  one 
ounce  of  lime  w^as  added,  because  she  began 
to  have  a  sweetish  smell ;  at  eleven  a  pattern, 
at  twelve  she  was  raked  ;  it  was  thus  continued 
till  five,  then  three  ounces  of  indigo  were  put 
in,  at  six  a  pattern,  at  seven  she  was  raked. 
It  would  then  have  been  proper  to  have  served 
hier  with  water,  as  she  was  at  that  time  per- 

E 


50 


fectly  come  to  work,  the  pattern  that  was  taken 
out  being  very  green,  and  turning  of  a  bright 
blue.  But  besides  that*  I  was  fatigued,  hav- 
ing sat  up  the  whole  night,  I  chose  rather 
to  put  her  back  to  the  next  day,  to  see  her  ef- 
fect by  day- light;  and  for  that  purpose,  I  put 
one  ounce  of  lime,  which  kept  her  up  till  nine 
in  the  morning :  from  time  to  time  patterns 
were  put  in,  the  last  that  was  taken  out  was 
very  beautiful ;  she  was  served  with  a  liquor 
composed  of  water,  and  a  small  handful  of 
bran.  She  was  raked,  and  patterns  put  in 
from  hour  to  hour ;  at  five  she  was  come  to 
work ;  she  was  afterwards  served  with  lime, 
and  raked  to  preserve  her  till  she  was  to  be  re- 
heated. 

Some  time  after  I  set  another  with  the  woad 
alone  without  indigo,  that  I  might  be  able  to 
judge  of  the  lasting  of  the  die  of  the  woad, 
which,  upon  trial,  1  found  to  be  as  good  as 
the  pastel  or  garden  woad.  Thus  all  the  su- 
periority the  pastel  has  on  the  woad,  is,  that 
the  latter  yields  less  die  than  the  former. 

The  little  varieties  that  may  be  observed  in 
setting  these  different  vats  at  work,  prove,  that 
there  are  many  circumstances  in  these  pro- 
cesses that  are  not  absolutely  necessary.  It  ap- 
pears to  me,  that  the  only  important  point, 
and  that  to  which  the  greatest  attention  is  to  be 
given,  is,  in  the  conducting  the  fermentation 
with  care,  and  not  to  serve  her  with  lime,  but 
when  judged  necessary  by  the  indications  I 
have  laid  down.    As  to  the  indigo  being  put 


51 

in  at  twice,  or  altogether,  a  little  sooner  or 
later,  it  appears  very  indifferent.  The  same 
may  be  said  of  the  weld,  which  I  made  use  of 
twice,  and  suppressed  the  two  other  times,  and 
of  pearl-ashes,  which  I  added  in  a  small  quan- 
tity in  the  small  pastel  vat,  and  suppressed  in 
the  woad  vat.  In  short,  I  believe,  and  it  ap- 
pears to  me  to  a  demonstration,  that  the 
greatest  regard  is  to  be  had  to  the  proper  dis- 
tribution of  the  lime,  throughout  the  whole 
course  of  the  working  of  the  vats,  either  to 
set  them  at  work,  or  to  re-heat  them.  I  muse 
also  add,  that  when  a  woad  vat  is  set  to  work, 
she  cannot  be  too  often  inspected  into  to  know 
her  state ;  for  if  there  are  some  that  are  back- 
ward (which  is  attributed  to  the  weakness  of 
the  woad)  there  are  also  others  that  very  quick- 
ly come  to  work.  I  have  seen  a  middling  one 
of  seventy  pounds  of  woad,  poisoned  ;  because 
the  woad  man  neglected  to  inspect  her  as  often 
as  she  required,  and  she  had  been  two  hours 
fit  to  work  before  he  discovered  it ;  the  grounds 
were  entirely  come  up  to  the  surface  of  the  li- 
quor, and  the  whole  had  a  very  sour  smelly  it 
was  not  possible  to  bring  her  back,  and  they 
were  obliged  to  fling  her  aw^ay,  as  she  would 
in  a  short  time  have  contracted  a  foetid  smell. 
The  retarding  of  the  action  of  the  vat  may 
also  proceed  from  the  temperature  of  the  air  ; 
for  the  vat  cools  a  great  deal  sooner  in  v^inter 
than  in  summer  ^  therefore  it  becomes  necessary 
to  watch  it  attentively,  though  commonly  they 


52 


are  fourteen  or  fifteen  hours  before  they  coaie 
to  work. 

I  shall  endeavour  to  explain,  in  the  sequel, 
how  the  colouring  part  of  this  ingredient,  so 
necessary  in  dieing,  displays  itself ;  but  I  must 
first  of  all  speak  of  vats  which  are  prepared 
from  indigo. 


CHAPTER  IV- 


THE  INDIGO  VAT. 

Process  of  making  the  indigo  America. 

INDIGO  is  the  fecula  of  a  plant  named  nill 
or  anil;  to  make  it,  three  vats  are  placed 
the  one  over  the  other,  in  form  of  a  cascade  ^ 
in  the  first,  called  the  steeper,  the  plant  is  pui 
in  with  its  leaves,  bark  and  flowers*,  and  filled 
with  water;  some  time  after,  the  whole  fer- 
ments, the  water  grows  intensely  hot,  thickens, 
and  becomes  of  a  blue  colour  bordering  on  the 
violet ;  the  plant,  according  to  the  opinion  of 
some,  deposing  all  its  salts,  and,  according 
to  others,  all  its  substance.  In  this  state,  the 
cocks  of  the  steeper  are  turned,  and  ail  the  wa- 

*  In  the  village  of  Sargussa,  near  the  toA^n  of  Am  dabat, 
the  Indians  only  use  the  leaves  of  the  anil  j  they  fliiig  away 
the  rest  of  the  plant.    The  best  indigo  ccmcs  from  thence. 


^3 

ter  Itt  out  stained  with  the  colouring  parts  of 
the  [)lant  into  the  second,  called  the  bearer;  be- 
caus^his  water  is  beat  by  a  null  or  a  machine 
that  ms  long  sticks,  to  condense  the  substance 
of  the  indigo,  and  precipitate  it  to  the  bottom. 
By  this  means  the  water  becomes  clear  and  co- 
lourless, like  common  water;  then  the  cocks 
are  turned,  that  the  water  may  run  off  from  the 
surface  of  the  blue  sediment;  after  which, 
other  cocks  are  turned  that  are  at  the  bottom, 
that  all  the  fecula  may  fall  into  the  third  vat, 
called  the  reposer ,  for  it  is  there  the  indigo  re- 
mains  to  dry ;  it  is  then  taken  out  to  be  made 
into  cak<fs,  &c.  See,  on  this  subject,  Hlsloire 
des  Antilles^  fare  le  Pere  Labat. 

At  Pondicherry,  on  the  coast  of  Coroman- 
del,  there  are  two  kinds  of  indigo,  the  one  a 
great  deal  finer  than  the  other  ;  the  best  is  sel- 
dom used  but  to  lustre  their  silks,  the  inferior 
in  dicing.  They  augment  in  price  according 
to  their  quali:y  ;  there  is  some  which  cost  from 
I  £  pagodas  the  bar  (which  weighs  48  pounds) 
to  200  pagodas.  The  wmx.  beautiful  is  pre- 
pared nigh  Agra.  There  is  also  a  very  good 
kind  that  comes  from  Masilupatan  and  Aya- 
non,  where  the  East  India  Company  have  a 
factory.  At  Chandernagor  it  is  called  nil  when 
it  IS  prepared  and  cut  to  pieces.  The  indigo 
of  Java  is  the  best  of  all ;  it  is  also  the  dearest,, 
and  consequently  few  diers  use  it.  Good  in- 
digo ought  to  be  so  light  as  to  float  on  the  wa- 
ter ;  the  more  it  sinks,  the  more  it  may  be  sus- 
pected of  being  adulterated  by  a  mixture  of 

E  2 


54 


earthy  cinders,  or  pounded  slates.  It  must  be 
of  a  deep  blue,  bordering  on  the  violet,  bril- 
liant, lively,  and  shining  j  it  must  be  finer 
within,  and  appear  of  a  shining  hue.  Its  good- 
ness is  tried  by  dissolving  it  in  a  glass  of  water ; 
if  it  be  unmixed  and  well  prepared,  it  will  dis- 
solve entirely;  if  sophisticated,  the  foreign 
matter  will  sink  to  the  bottom.  Another  me- 
thod of  trying  it  is  by  burning  ;  good  indigo 
burns  entirely  away,  and  when  adulterated, 
the  mixture  remains  after  the  indigo  is  con- 
sumed. 

Powdered  indigo  is  much  more  subject  to 
adulteration  than  that  v;hich  is  in  cakes  :  for  it 
is  a  difficult  matter  that  sand,  powdered 
slates,  &c.  should  unite  so  as  not  to  form  to- 
gether in  different  places  layers  of  different 
matters;  and,  in  this  case,  by  breaking  the 
lump  indigo,  it  is  easily  discovered. 

Method  of  working  the  Indigo  Vdt. 

There  are  several  methods  of  preparing  the 
indigo  vat;  I  tried  all  those  I  knew,  and  they 
all  succeeded.  I  shall  describe  them  after  the 
most  exact  manner,  beginning  with  that  which 
is  the  miOst  in  use,  and  almost  the  only  one 
known  at  Paris. 

It  is  a  vat  which  is  about  five  feet  in  height, 
two  feet  diameter,  and  becomes  narrow  to* 
wards  the  bottom ;  she  is  surrounded  with  a 
wall  that  leaves  a  space  round  her,  which  serves 
to  hold  embers.    In  a  vat  of  this  size,  two 


55 

pounds  of  indigo  may  at  least  be  used,  and 
five  or^ix  for  the  greatest  proportion.  To  set 
a  vac  of  t\^vo  pounds  of  indigo  in  such  a  vessel 
that  may  contain  about  foun>cofe  quarts,  about 
sixty  quarts  of  river  water  are  set  to  boil  in  a 
copper  for  the  space  of  half  an  hour,  wirh  two 
pounds  of  pearl  ashes,  two  ounces  of  madder, 
and  a  handful  of  bran  ;  during  this,  the  indigo 
is  prepared  after  the  following  manner  : 

Two  pounds  of  it  are  weighed  out,  njid  cast 
into  a  pail  of  cold  water  to  separate  the  earrhy 
parts.  The  water  is  afterwards  poured  off  by 
inclination,  and  the  indigo  well  ground ;  a 
little  warm  water  is  put  into  it,  shaking  it  from 
side  to  side  3  it  is  poured  by  inclination  into  a 
another  vessel  ;  what  remains  is  still  ground, 
and  fresh  water  put  in  to  cany  off  the  finest 
parts,  and  thus  continued  till  all  the  indigo  is 
reduced  into  a  powder,  fine  enough  to  be  raised 
by  the  water.  This  is  all  the  preparation  it  un- 
d' i;goes.  Then  the  liquor  which  has  boiled  in 
the  copper  with  the  grounds  are  poured  into 
the  high  and  narrow  vat,  as  likewise  the  indi- 
go ;  the  whole  is  then  raked  with  a  small  rake, 
the  vat  is  covered,  and  embers  placed  round 
her.  If  this  work  was  begun  in  the  afternoon, 
a  few  embers  are  added  at  night ;  the  same  is 
repeated  the  next  day  morning  and  night.  The 
vat  is  also  lightly  raked  twice  the  second  day ; 
the  third  day,  the  embers  are  continued  to  be 
put  round,  to  keep  up  the  heat  of  the  vat ; 
she  is  raked  twice  in  the  day  :  about  this  time, 
a  shining  copper- coloured  skin  begins  to  ap- 


5^ 

pear  on  the  surface  of  the  liquor,  and  appears 
as  if  it  was  broken  or  cracked  in  severaltplaces. 
The  fourth  day,  by  continuing  the  fire,  this 
skin  or  pelicle  is  nnore  formed  and  closer;  the 
flurry,  which  rises  in  raking  the  vat,  appears, 
and  the  liquor  becomes  of  a  deep  green. 

When  the  liquor  is  in  this  state,  it  is  a  sign 
that  it  is  time  to  fiil  the  vat.  For  this  purpose 
a  fresh  liquor  is  made,  by  putting  into  a  cop- 
per about  twenty  quarts  of  water,  with  one 
pound  of  pearl  ashes,  a  handful  of  bran,  and 
half  an  ounce  of  madder.  This  is  boiled  a 
quarter  of  an  hour,  and  the  vat  is  served  with 
it  i  she  is  then  raked,  and  causes  a  great  quan- 
tity of  flurry  to  rise,  and  the  vat  comes  to 
work  the  next  day;  this  is  known  by  the  quan- 
tity of  flurry  with  which  she  is  covered  by  the 
skin  or  copper-scaly  crust  which  swims  on  the 
liquor,  which,  although  it  appeais  of  a  biue- 
brown,  is  nevertheless  green  underneath. 

This  vat  was  much  longer  coming  to  its  co- 
lour then  the  others,  because  the  fire  was  too 
strong  the  second  day,  otherwise  she  would 
have  been  fit  to  work  two  days  sooner.  This 
did  no  other  damage  but  rerarded  her,  and  the 
day  she  came  to  work,  we  dipt  in  serges  weigh- 
ing thirteen  or  fourteen  pounds.  As  this  cau- 
sed her  to  loFe  her  strength,  and  the  liquor  be- 
ing diminished  by  the  pieces  of  stuffs  that  had 
been  died  in  her,  she  was  served  in  the  after- 
noon with  fresh  liquor,  made  with  one  pound 
of  pearl-ashes,  half  an  ounce  of  madder,  and 
a  haadful  of  bran;  the  whole  was  boiled  toge- 


57 


thcr  in  a  copper  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour ;  the 
vac  being  served  with  it  she  was  raked,  covered, 
and  a  few  embers  put  round.  She  may  be  pre- 
served after  this  manner  several  days^  and  when 
she  is  wanted  to  work,  she  must  btr  raked  over 
night,  and  a  little  fire  placed  about  her. 

When  there  is  occasion  tore-heat,  and  add 
indigo  to  this  kind  of  var,  two- thirds  of  the 
liquor  (which  then  is  no  more  green,  but  of  a 
blue-brown  and  almost  black)  is  put  into  a 
copper;  when  ic  is  ready  to  boil,  ail  the  scum 
that  is  formed  at  the  top  is  taken  off  with  a 
swvc  i  it  is  afterwards  made  to  boil,  and  two 
handfuls  of  bran,  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of 
madder,  and  two  pounds  of  pearl-ashes  are  ad- 
ded. The  fire  is  then  removed  from  the  cop- 
per, and  a  litrle  cold  water  cast  into  it  to  stop 
the  boil ;  after  which  the  whole  is  put  into  the 
vat,  with  one  pound  of  powdered  indigo,  di- 
luted in  a  portion  of  the  liquor  as  before  rela- 
ted ;  after  this  the  vat  is  raked,  covered,  and 
some  fire  put  round  the  next  day  slie  is  fit  to 
work. 

When  the  indigo  vat  has  been  re-heated  seve- 
ral times,  it  is  necessary  to  empty  her  entirely^ 
and  to  sec  a  fresh  one^  or  she  will  not  give  a 
lively  die  ;  when  she  is  too  old  and  stale,  the 
liquor  is  not  of  so  fine  a  green  as  at  first. 

I  put  several  other  vats  to  work  after  the 
same  method,  with  different  quantities  of  in- 
digo, from  one  pound  to  six;  always  observing 
to  augment  or  diminish  the  other  ingredients 
iin  proportion,  but  always  one  pound  of  pearl- 


58 


ashes  to  each  pound  of  indigo.  I  have  since 
made  other  experiments,  which  proved  to  mc 
that  this  proportion  was  not  absohirely  neces- 
sary ;  and  I  make  no  doubt  but  that  several 
other  means  might  be  found  to  make  the  indi- 
go come  to  as  perfect  a  colour.  I  shall,  ne- 
vertheless, proceed  to  some  other  observations 
on  this  vat. 

Of  all  those  I  set  to  work,  after  the  manner 
described,  one  only  failed  me,  and  that  by  neg- 
lecting to  put  fire  round  her  the  second  day. 
She  never  came  to  a  proper  colour;  powdered 
arsenic  was  put  in  to  no  effect;  red-hot  bricks 
were  also  plunged  in  at  different  times ;  the 
liquor  turned  of  a  greenish  hue,  but  never 
came  to  the  proper  colour ;  and  having  attempt- 
ed several  other  means  without  success,  or 
without  being  able  to  find  out  the  cause  of  her 
not  succeeding,  I  caused  the  liquor  to  be  emp- 
tied and  cast  away. 

All  the  other  accidents  that  have  happened 
me  m  conducting  the  indigo  vat,  have  only 
lengthened  the  operation;  so  that  this  process 
may  be  looked  upon  as  very  easy  when  com- 
pared to  that  of  the  woad  vat.  I  have  also 
made  several  experiments  on  both,  in  which 
my  chief  view  v/as  to  shorten  the  time  of  the 
common  preparation ;  but  not  meeting  with 
the  desired  success,  I  shall  not  relate  them. 

The  liquor  of  the  indigo  vat  is  not  exactly 
like  that  of  the  woad  ;  its  surface  is  of  a  blue- 
brown,  covered  with  coppery  scales,  and  the 
under  part  of  a  beautiful  green.    The  stuff  or 


59 


wool  died  in  this  is  green  when  taken  out,  and 
becoincs  blue  a  moment  after.  We  have  al- 
ready setn  that  the  same  happens  to  the  stuff 
died  in  the  woad  vat ;  but  it  is  remarkable, 
tha:  the  liquor  of  the  last  is  not  green,  and 
yet  produces  on  the  woad  the  same  effect  as 
the  other.  It  must  also  be  observed,  that  if 
the  liquor  of  the  indigo  vat  be  removed  out 
of  the  vessel  in  which  it  was  contained,  and  if 
too  long  exposed  to  the  air,  it  loses  its  green 
and  all  its  quality,  so  that,  although  it  gives  a 
blue  colour,  that  colour  is  not  lasting. 

I  shall  examine  this  more  particularly  in  the 
sequd,  and  endeavour  to  give  the  chymical 
theory  of  this  change,. 


CHAPTER  V. 


THE   COLD   VAT  WITH  URINE. 

A  VAT  is  also  prepared  with  urine,  which 
yields  its  colour  cold,  and  is  worked  cold  : 
for  this  purpose  four  pounds  of  indigo  are 
powdered,  which  is  to  be  digested  on  warm 
ashes  twenty-four  hours,  in  four  quarts  of  vine- 
gar; if  it  is  not  then  well  dissolved,  it  must 
be  ground  again  with  the  liquor,  and  urine  is 
to  be  added  little  by  little,  with  half  a  pound 
of  madder,  which  must  be  well  diluted  by  stir- 


6o 


ring  the  liquor  with  a  stick  ;  when  this  prepa- 
ration is  made,  it  is  poured  into  a  vessel  filled 
with  250  quarts  of  urine;  it  matters  not 
whether  it  be  fresh  or  stale;  the  whole  is  well 
stirred  and  raked  together  night  and  morn- 
ing for  eight  days,  or  till  the  vat  appears 
green  at  the  surface  when  raked,  or  that  she 
makes  flurry  as  the  common  vat;  she  is  then 
fit  to  work,  without  more  trouble  than  previ- 
ously raking  her  two  or  three  hours  before. 
This  kind  of  vat  is  extremely  convenient,  for 
when  once  se:  to  work,  she  remains  good  till 
she  be  entirely  drawn,  that  is,  till  the  indigo 
has  given  all  its  colour;  thus  she  may  be 
v/orked  at  all  times,  whereas  the  common  vat 
must  be  prepared  the  day  before. 

This  vat  miay  at  pleasure  be  made  miOre  or 
less  considerable  by  augmenting  or  diminish- 
ing the  ingredients  in  proportion  to  the  indigo 
intended  to  be  made  use  of;  so  that  to  each 
pound  of  indigo  add  a  quart  of  vinegar,  two 
ounces  of  madder,  and  sixty  or  seventy  quarts 
of  urine.  This  vat  comes  sooner  to  work  in 
summer  than  in  winter,  and  may  be  brought 
^oner  to  work  by  warming  some  of  the  liquor 
without  boiling,  and  returning  if  into  the  vat; 
this  process  is  so  simple  that  it  is  almost  impos- 
sible to  fail. 

When  the  indigo  is  quite  spent,  and  gives 
no  more  die,  the  vat  may  be  charged  again 
without  setting  a  new  one.  For  this  purpose, 
indigo  must  be  dissolved  in  vinegar,  adding 
madder  in  proportion  to  the  indigo,  pouring 


6i 


the  whole  into  the  vat,  and  raking  h^f  ^^g^^^ 
and  anorning,  and  evening  as  at  first,  she  v/ill 
be  as  good  as  before;  however  she  must  not 
be  charged  this  way  above  four  or  five  times, 
for  the  ground  of  the  madder  and  indigo 
would  dull  the  liquor,  and  in  consequence  ren- 
der the  colour  less  bright.  I  did  not  try  this 
method,  and  therefore  do  not  answer  for  the 
success;  but  here  follows  another  with  urine 
which  gives  a  very  lasting  blue,  and  wliich  I 
prepared. 

Hot  Vat  with  Urine. 

A  pound  of  indigo  was  steeped  twenty-four 
hours  in  four  quarts  of  clear  urine,  and  when 
the  urine  became  very  blue,  it  was  run  through 
a  fine  sieve  into  a  pail,  and  the  indigo  which 
could  not  pass,  and  which  remiined  in  the 
sieve,  was  put  with  four  quarts  of  fresh  urine; 
this  was  so  continued  till  all  the  indigo  had 
passed  through  the  sieve  with  the  urine ;  this 
lasted  about  two  hours.  At  four  in  the  after- 
noon three  hogsheads  of  urine  were  pur  into 
the  co[)per,  and  it  v;as  made  as  hot  as  could 
be  without  boding.  The  urine  cast  up  a  thick 
scum,  which  was  taken  up  with  a  broom  and 
cast  out  of  the  copper.  Ir  was  thus  [cummed 
at  different  times,  till  there  only  remained  a 
white  and  light  scum  ;  the  urine,  by  this 
means  sufficiently  purified  and  ready  to  boi!, 
was  poured  into  the  wooden  vat,  and  t!ie  indi- 
go prepared  as  above,  put  in ;  the  vat  v/as 

r 


62 


then  raked,  the  better  to  mix  the  indigo  with 
the  urine  :  soon  after,  a  liquor  was  put  into 
the  var,  made  of  two  quarxs  of  urine,  a  pound 
of  roach-  alum,,  and  a  pound  of  red  tartar.  To 
make  this  liquor,  the  alum  and  tartar  were 
iirst  put  into  the  mortar,  and  reduced  to  a  fine 
powder,  upon  which  the  two  quarts  of  urine 
were  poured,  and  the  whole  rubbed  together, 
till  this  mixture,  which  rose  ail  of  a  sudc.en, 
ceased  to  ferment:  it  was  then  put  into  the 
vat,  which  was  strongly  raked  ;  and  being  co- 
vered with  its  wooden  cover,  she  was  left  in 
that  state  all  night;  the  next  morning  the  11^ 
quor  was  of  a  very  green  colour;  this  was  a 
sign  she  was  come  to  work,  and  that  she  might 
have  been  worked  if  thought  proper,  but  no- 
thing was  died  in  her ;  for  all  that  was  done, 
was  only,  properly  speaking,  the  first  pre  pa- 
ration of  the  vat,  and  the  indigo  which  had 
been  put  in  was  only  intended  to  feed  the  m  ine, 
so  that  to  finish  the  preparation  the  vat  was 
let  to  rest  for  tw'o  days,  always  covered,  that 
she  miight  cool  the  slower ;  the n  a  second 
pound  of  indigo  was  prepared,  ground  with 
purified  urine  as  before.  About  four  in  the  af- 
ternoon all  the  liquor  of  the  vat  was  put  into 
the  copper  ;  it  was  heated  as  much  as  possible 
without  boiling;  some  thick  scum  formed  on 
it  which  was  taken  off,  and  the  liquor  being 
ready  to  boil  was  returned  into  the  vat.  At 
the  same  time  the  ground  indigo  was  put  in, 
with  a  liquor  made  as  above  of  one  pound  of 
alurri,  one  pound  of  tartar,  and  two  quarts  of 


63 


urine,  a  fresh  pound  of  madder  was  also  ad- 
ded ,  then  the  vat  was  raked,  well  covered, 
and  left  so  the  whole  night.  The  next  nnorn- 
ing  she  was  come  to  work,  the  liquor  being 
very  hoc,  and  of  a  very  tine  green,  she  was 
worked  with  wool  in  the  fleece,  of  which 
thirty  pounds  were  put  into  the  vat.  It  was 
well  extended  and  worked  between  the  hands, 
that  the  liquor  might  the  more  easily  soak  into 
it,  then  it  was  left  at  rest  for  an  hour  or  twOj 
according  as  lighter  or  deeper  blues  are  re* 
quired. 

All  this  time  the  vat  was  well  covered,  that 
it  might  the  better  retain  its  heat,  for  the  hot 
ter  she  is,  the  better  she  dies,  and  when  cold 
acts  no  more.  When  the  wool  came  to  the 
shade  of  the  blue  required,  it  was  taken  out  of 
the  vac  in  parcels,  about  the  bigness  of  a  man's 
head,  twisted  and  wrung  over  the  liquor  as  they 
were  taken  out,  till  from  green,  as  they  were 
coming  out  of  the  vat,  they  became  blue.  This 
change  from  ^rccn  to  blue  is  made  in  three  or 
four  nunutes.  These  thirty  pounds  being  thus 
died,  and  the  green  taken  off,  the  vat  was  ra- 
ked, and  suffered  to  rest  for  two  hours,  being 
all  that  time  well  covered  ;  then  thirty  pounds 
more  were  put  in,  which  was  well  extended 
with  the  hands,  the  vat  was  covered,  and  in 
four  or  five  liours  this  wool  was  died  at  the 
height  or  shade  of  the  first  thirty  pounds;  it 
was  then  taken  out  in  heaps,  and  the  green  ta- 
ken off  as  before.  This  done,  the  vat  had 
still  some  little  heat,  but  not  sufficient  to  die 


64 


fresh  wool ;  for  whci^n  she  has  not  a  sufficien-t 
hear,  the  colour  she  gives  v;ould  neither  be 
uniform  nor  lasting,  so  that  it  must  be  re-heat- 
ed, and  fresh  indigo  put  in  as  before.  This 
may  be  done  as  often  as  judged  proper,  for 
this  vat  does  not  spoil  by  age,  provided,  that 
whilst  she  is  kept  without  working,  a  little  air 
is  let  into  her. 

Re-heating  of  the  Vat  with  Urine. 

xibout  four  in  the  afternoon,  the  whole  li- 
quor of  the  vat  was  put  into  a  copper,  and  a 
sufficient  quantity  of  urine  added  to  this  li- 
quor, to  mike  up  the  deficiency  that  had  been 
lost  by  evaporation  during  the  preceding  work. 
Th  s  filling  commonly  takes  eight  or  nine  pails 
of  urine  \  the  liquor  was  then  heated  and 
scummed  as  before,  and  when  ready  to  boil, 
returned  into  the  vat  with  a  pound  of  indigo, 
and  the  liquor  above  desbnbed,  consisting  of 
alum  and  tartar,  of  each  one  pound,  madder 
one  pound,  and  two  quarts  of  urine.  After 
raking  the  vat  well,  and  covering  her,  she  v/as 
left  at  rest  the  whole  night. 

The  next  day  she  came  to  work,  and  sixty 
pounds  of  wool  were  died  in  her  at  twice  as  be- 
fore. It  is  after  this  manner  all  the  rc-heatings 
must  be  done  the  evening  before  the  dieing, 
and  these  re  heatings  may  extend  to  infinity, 
as  che  vat,  once  set,  serves  a  long  time. 

I  must  here  observe,  that  the  greater  the 
quantity  of  indigo  put  in  at  once  is,  the  deeper 


65 


the  blue  :  thus  instead  of  one  pound,  four, 
five,  or  six  pounds  may  be  put  in  together  ; 
nor  is  It  necessary  to  augment  the  dose  of 
aluin,  tartar,  or  madder,  of  which  ingredients 
the  liquor  is  coiiiposed  ;  but  if  the  vessel  hold 
more  than  three  hogsheads,  then  the  dose  of 
these  must  be  augmented  in  proportion.  Tht 
vat  I  have  mentioned  held  three,  and  was  too^ 
small  lo  die  at  one  time  a  sufficient  quantity 
of  wool  to  make  a  piece  of  cloth,  viz.  fifty  or 
sixty  pounds ;  for  this  purpose  it  would  be  ne- 
cessary tliat  the  vat  should  cofitain  at  least  six 
hogsiiea:is,  and  from  thii;  a  double  advantage 
would  arise,  i.  All  the  wool  will  be  died  in 
thtee  or  four  hours,  whereas  dieing  it  at  twice, 
it  takes  eight  or  ten  hours.  2.  At  the  end  of 
three  hours,  in  which  time  the  wool  would  be 
died,,  taken  out,  and  the  green  taken  off,  the 
vat  Deing  yet  very  hot;  after  raking  and  letting 
her  rest  a  couple  of  hours,  the  same  wool 
might  be  returned  into  her,  which  would 
heighten  the  colour  very  much  ;  for  all  wool 
that  has  been  died,  aired,  and  the  green  taken 
off,  always  takes  a  finer  colour  than  new  or 
♦white  wool,  which  might  remain  twenty  hours 
in  the  vat. 

Great  care  must  be  taken  to  air  and  take  off^ 
the  green  of  the  died  parcels  of  wool  that  are 
taken  out  of  the  vat  hastily,  ^hat  the  air  may 
strik-  them  equally,  without  which  the  blue 
colour  will  not  be  uniform  throughout  the 
wooU 

F  2. 


66 


There  are  manufacturers  who  say  that  cloths, 
whose  wool  has  received  this  ground  of  blue 
with  urine,  cannot  be  perfectly  scoured  at  the 
fulling  mill,  even  at  twice  ;  others  vouch  the 
coniiary,  and  I  am  of  opinion  the  last  speak 
the  truth  ;  yet,  if  the  first  are  right,  it  might 
be  suspected  that  the  aniinal  oil  of  the  urine 
becoming  resinous  by  drying  on  the  wool,  or 
by  uniting  with  ihe  oil  with  which  the  wool  is 
moist^^neJ ;  for  ics  other  prepi^rations  more 
stroneiy  resist  the  fuller's  earth  and  soap,  than 
a  simple  oil  by  expression.  To  remedy  this, 
the  woo!  ought  to  be  well  washed  in  a  running 
water  after  it  is  died,  twisted,  aired,  the  green 
taken  off,  and  cooled.  Be  it  as  it  may,  the 
v/oad  vai  will  alvv^ays  Be  preferred  in  the  great 
die  houses  to  tliose  kinds  of  indigo  vats  made 
with  urine  or  otherwise ;  and  for  this  rer.son, 
that  with  a  good  woad  vat,  and  an  ingenious 
woadman,  much  more  work  is  despatched  than 
with  all  the  other  blue  vats. 

1  haviS  described  the  indigo  vats  in  this 
treatise,  not  with  a  design  to  introduce  them 
in  the  large  manufactories,  but  to  procure  easy 
means  to  the  diers  in  small,  and  small  manu- 
factories, to  whom  1  Wish  this  work  may  be  of 
as  much  advantage  as  to  the  others.  I  shall 
therefore  here  describe  a  cold  vat,  which  may 
be  used  with  advantage  by  those  who  die  small 
stuffs,  in  whose  composition  thread  and  cotton 
enter.  The  colour  is  lasting,  but  cannot  be 
made  use  of  for  wool. 


67 


CHAPTER  VL 


OF   THE   COLD   INDIGO  VAT   WITHOUT  URINE. 

IT  is  cusro.nary  at  Rouen,  and  in  some  other 
cities  ot  Francr,  to  die  in  a  cold  iiidigo  vat, 
dufcrcnc  from  that  described  in  the  foregoing 
chapter,  and  more  convenien',  as  she  conies  to 
work  sooner,  and  has  no  bad  saic!!.  She  is 
prepared  afrer  the  following  manner  : 

D-ss  dve  three  pounds  of  indigo  powdered 
finely,  in  a  glazeci  earciien  pot,  with  three  pints 
of  strong  soap,  boiler's  lees,  which  is  a  strong 
lee  of  soda  and  quick  lime.  The  indigo  takes 
abo  It  twenty-four  hours  dissolving,  aiid  vvhen 
perfectly  so,  re  nains  suspended  in  the  liquor, 
thickens  it,  and  gi  ves  it  the  consistence  of  an  ex- 
tract. At  the  saaie  tifi-^e,  three  pounds  of  sif- 
ted slacked  lime  uiust  be  pur  into  another  vessel 
with  six  quarts  of  water,  and  boiled  together 
for  a  quarter  of  an  hour;  v^hen  settled,  the  clear 
is  poured  off  by  inclination.  Then  three  pounds 
of  green  copperas  a'e  to  be  dissolved  in  this 
clear  lime  water,  and  the  whole  let  to  rest  till 
the  next  day.  Three  hundred  quarts  of  water 
are  then  put  in  a  large  deal  v*  ssel  (no  otiier 
wood  but  deal  will  do,  for  it  would  dull  and 


68 


blacken  the  die,  especially  if  it  was  oak.)  The 
two  solutions  which  were  made  the  day  before 
are  put  in,  the  vat  is  well  raked,  and  suffered 
to  rest.  1  have  seen  her  come  to  colour  in  two 
hours  after,  but  this  never  fails  to  happen  the 
next  day  at  farthest.  She  makes  a  great  deal 
of  flurry,  and  the  liquor  becomes  of  a  fine  green 
colour,  but  a  little  more  on  the  yellow  than  the 
green  of  the  common  vat. 

When  this  vat  begins  to  spend  herself,  she 
is  to  be  quickened  wnthout  putting  in  fresh  in- 
digo, by  making  a.  small  iiqour  with  twa 
pounds  of  green  copperas,  dissolved  in  a  suf- 
ficient quantity  of  lime  water;  but  when  the 
indigo  has  spent  all  lis  colour,  she  nuist  be  re- 
charged by  purting  in  fresh,  dissolved  in  such 
a  lec  as  has  been  described. 

IVater  of  Old  Iron. 

Some  diers  put  into  this  vat  a  little  water  of 
old  iron.  It  is  a  mixrureof  vinegar  and  water, 
in  which  some  old  iron  nails  have  been  put  to 
rust.  They  say  this  makes  the  colour  more 
lasting,  but  J  have  experit^nced,  that  ir  is  suf- 
ficiently so  without  this,  and  as  good  as  all 
thr  other  blues,  of  which  I  have  before  given 
the  preparation. 

I  set  several  small  vats ;  those  that  required 
to  be  heated  were  put  in  a  bath  or  sand  hear, 
in  small  glass  bodies ;  and  those  that  are  worked 
cold  were  left  without  doing  any  tr  hig  to  them. 
These  last  are  easy,  being  sufficient  to  dimi- 


69 


nish  the  quantity  of  liquor,  and  of  all  the 
other  ingredients,  in  proportion  to  the  vessel 
that  is  to  be  ^er,  and  it  is  alinosi:  iii^possible  to 
fail. 

As  to  that  which  I  first  described,  which  is 
sec  hot,  as  it  is  soii^ewhat  more  difficult,  and 
that  several  might  be  willing  to  try  the  experi- 
ment, which  in  itself  is  curious,  and  neirher  re- 
quires expensjj  nor  apparatus  to  perform  in 
small,  I  shall  give  the  process  of  one  which 
succeeded  perfectly,  and  in  which  I  had  de- 
signedly put  a  greater  quantity  of  indigo  than 
usually  is  done  in  the  common  proportion. 

I  boiled  two  quarts  of  water  with  two  scru- 
ples of  madder  and  four  ounces  of  pearl-ashes ; 
after  boiling  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  1  put  it  mto 
a  body,  which  held  about  four  quarts,  and 
had  been  previously  heated  with  warm  water, 
and  in  which  I  had  pur  a  quarter  of  a  handful 
of  bran.  The  whole  was  well  stirred  with  a 
deal  spatula,  the  glass  body  |)ut  on  a  very  gen- 
tle sand-heat,  which  only  kept  it  warm,  and 
pretty  near  the  same  degree  of  heat  that  is  re- 
quired for  the  common  mdigo  vat. 

The  fire  was  kept  ail  night,  and  the  next 
day  under  the  sand-hear,  without  any  sensible 
change  happening ;  it  was  only  stirred  twice 
a-day.  The  next  day  some  flurry  began  to 
rise,  and  a  copper-coloured  skin  formed  on  the 
surface,  and  the  liquor  was  of  a  green-brov/n  ; 
it  was  then  filled  up  with  a  liquor  made  of  a 
quart  of  water,  tvv'o  ounces  of  pearl-ashes, 
and  a  little  bran.   I  mixed  the  whole  together^ 


70 

then  let  it  rest.  It  came  perfectly  well  to  co- 
lour, and  the  next  day  I  died  several  middling 
pieces  of  stuffs  and  wool.  These  small  vessels 
mav  be  re- heated  and  charged  again  as  easily  as 
a  large  one. 

I  think  I  have  nothing  more  to  say  concern- 
ing the  method  of  setting  to  work  all  these 
kinds  of  blue  vats  ;  yet  1  am  persuaded  that 
there  are  several  other  means  practised  in  dif- 
ferent places,  and  that  it  is  even  easy  to  con- 
trive new  ones ;  however,  I  can  affirm  that  all 
those  which  I  have  described  are  very  sure,  and 
th.u  thty  have  all  been  worked  several  times 
with  the  same  success. 


CHAPTER  VIL 


OF  THE   METHOD  OF    DIEING  BLUE, 

W HEN  the  vat  is  once  prepared  and  come 
to  work,  the  dieing  of  wool  or  stuffs  is 
easy.  Wet  them  well  in  clear  warm  water, 
wringing  and  dipping  them  in  the  vat,  and 
keeping  them  in  more  or  less  time,  according  as 
the  colour  is  required  in  shade.  From  time  to 
time  the  stuffs  is  aired,  that  is,  taken  out  of  the 
vat  and  wrung,  so  that  the  liquor  may  fall 
back  into  the  vat,  and  expo  ed  a  little  to  the 
air,  which  takes  off'  the  green  in  one  or  two 


7^ 

minutes ;  for  let  what  vat  soever  be  used,  the 
st<ifF  IS  always  gre^n  at  its  coniing  our,  and 
only  takes  the  blue  colour  in  proportion  the 
air  acts  upon  it.  It  is  also  very  necessary  to 
let  the  green  go  off  before  it  is  returned  into 
the  liquor  to  receive  a  second  shade,  as  being 
then  better  able  to  judge  of  its  colour,  and 
know  if  it  is  requisite  to  give  what  is  called 
one  or  several  turnings. 

It  is  an  ancient  custom  annong  diers  to 
reckon  thirteen  shades  of  blue  from  the  deepest 
to  the  lighrest.  Although  their  denominations 
be  somewhat  arbitrary,  and  that  it  is  impossi- 
ble exactly  to  fix  the  just  passage  from  one  to 
the  other,  I  shall  notwithstanding  give  the 
names.  They  are  as  follow,  beginning  with 
the  lightest:  milk  blue,  pearl-blue,  pale-blue, 
flat«bluc,  n^iddlmg  blue,  sky  blue,  queen's- 
blue,  turkish-blue,  watchet-blue,  garter  blue, 
mazareen-blue,  deep -blue,  and  very  deep- 
blue. 

These  distinctions  are  not  equally  received 
by  all  diers,  nor  in  ail  provinces,  but  the 
most  part  are  known;  and  it  is  thie  only  me- 
thod that  can  be  taken  to  give  an  idea  of  the 
same  colour,  whose  only  difference  is  in  being 
more  or  less  deep. 

It  is  easy  ro  make  deep  blues.  I  have  al- 
ready said,  that  to  effect  this,  the  wool  or  stuffs 
are  to  be  returned  several  times  into  the  vat; 
but  it  is  not  so  in  respect  to  light  bluest  for 
when  the  vat  is  rightly  come  to  work,  the  wool 
can  seldom  be  left  in  short  time  enough,  but 
) 


72 


that  it  takes  more  than  the  shade  required.  It 
often  happens  when  a  certain  quantity  of  wool 
is  to  be  dipped,  and  that  it  cannot  all  be  put  in 
at  the  saaie  time,  that  what  goes  in  at  first  is 
deeper  than  the  other.  There  are  some  dicrs 
who,  to  obviate  this  inconveniency  in  making 
very  ligiu  blues,  which  they  call  milk  and  wa- 
ter, cake  some  of  the  liquor  of  the  indigo  vat, 
and  dilute  it  in  a  very  great  quantity  of  luke- 
warm water  ;  but  this  method  is  a  bad  one,  for 
the  wool  died  in  this  mixture  has  not  near  so 
lasting  a  colour  as  that  died  in  the  vat ;  as  the 
altering  ingredients  which  are  put  into  the  vat 
with  tiie  indigo,  serves  as  much  to  dispose  the 
pores  of  the  subject  which  is  dipped  in,  as  to 
the  opening  of  the  colouring  fecula  which  is  to 
xJie  it,  their  concourse  being  necessary  for  the 
adhesion  of  the  colour.  The  best  method  of 
making  these  very  lio;ht  blues,  is  to  pass  them 
either  ui  a  woad  or  indigo  vat,  out  of  which 
the  colour  has  been  worked,  and  begins  to 
cool.  The  woad  vat  is  still  preferable  to  that 
of  the  indigo,  as  it  does  not  die  so  soon. 

The  blui-s  made  in  vats  that  have  been  work- 
ed are  dulkr  than  the  others;  but  they  may 
[^'•etty  sensibly  roused  by  passing  the  wool  or 
stuffs  in  boiling  water.  This  practice  is  even 
necessary  to  the  perfection  of  all  blue  shades ; 
by  this  the  colour  is  not  only  made  brighter, 
but  also  rendered  more  secure,  by  taking  off  all 
that  is  not  v.^ell  incorporated  with  the  wool ;  it 
also  prevents  its  sporting  the  hands  or  linen, 
wl;iich  commonly  happens,  and  the  diers,  to 


73 


gain  time,  neglect  this  precaution.  After  the 
wool  is  taken  out  of  the  warm  water,  it  is  ne- 
cessary to  wash  it  again  in  the  river,  or  at  least 
in  a  sufficient  quantity  of  water  for  the  carry- 
ing off  all  the  superfluous  loose  die. 

The  best  method  to  render  the  blue  die 
brighter,  is  by  filling  them  with  a  thin  liquor 
of  melted  soap,  and  afterwards  cleansing  them 
from  the  soap  by  warm  water,  and,  if  conve- 
nient, by  rinsing  them  in  an  old  cochineal  li- 
quor. This  method  is  to  be  taken  with  deep 
blues  ;  but  if  the  same  was  taken  with  very 
light  blues,  they  would  lose  their  bright  blue 
lustre,  and  incline  to  grey. 

I  hope  to  have  removed  all  difficulties  on  the 
preparation  of  blue,  and  in  the  method  of  die- 
ing  it.  Some  diers,  for  the  sake  of  gain,  spare 
the  woad  and  indigo,  and  use  for  blue,  orchel 
or  logwood,  and  brazil ;  this  ought  to  be  ex- 
pressly forbid,  though  this  adulterated  blue  is 
often  brighter  than  a  lasting  and  legitiiiiate 
blue.  1  shall  take  notice  of  this  in  the  chap- 
ters treating  on  the  lesser  die. 

I  shall  now  explain  the  theory  of  the  Invisi- 
ble change  of  the  blue  die.  This  colour,  which 
I  shall  here  only  consider  in  relation  to  its  use 
in  the  dieing  of  stuffs  of  wliat  kind  soever,  has 
hitherto  been  extracted  only  from  the  vegetable 
world,  and  it  does  not  appear  that  we  can  hope 
to  use  in  this  art  the  blues  the  painters  em- 
ploy:  such  are  the  Prussian  blue,  which  holds 

Q 


74 


of  the  animal  and  mineral  kind*;  the  aziire^ 
which  is  a  vitrified  mineral  substance;  the  ul- 
tramarine, which  is  prepared  from  a  hard 
stone  I  the  earths  that  have  a  blue  colour^  &c. 
These  matters  cannot,  without  losing  their  co- 
lour in  whole  or  in  part,  be  reduced  into  atoms 
sufficiently  minute,  so  as  to  be  suspended  in 
the  saline  liquid,  which  must  penetrate  the 
fibres  of  the  animal  and  vegetable  substances 
of  which  stuffs  are  manufactured  ;  for  under 
this  name  linen  and  cotton  cloths  miust  be  com- 
prehended, as  well  as  those  wove  of  silk  and 
wool. 

Hitherto  we  know  but  of  two  plants  that 
yield  blue  after  their  preparation  :  the  one  is 
the  isatis  or  glaustum,  which  is  called  pastel 
in  Languedoc,  and  woad  in  Normandy.  Their 
preparation  consists  in  a  fermentation  conti^ 
nucd  even  to  the  putrefaction  of  all  the  parts 
of  the  plant,  the  root  excepted  ;  and  conse- 
quently in  the  unfolding  of  all  their  principles 
into  a  new  combination,  and  fresh  order  of 
these  same  principles,  from  whence  follows  an 
union  of  infinite  fine  particles,  which,  applied 
to  any  subject  whatever,  reflects  the  light  on 
them  very  difi^erent  from  what  it  would  be,  if 
these  same  particles  were  still  joined  to  those 
which  the  fermentation  has  separated. 

The  other  plant  is  the  anil,  which  is  culti- 
vated in  the  East  and  West  Indies,  out  of 

*  1748,  Mons,  Macqiier,  of  the  Royal  Academy  of 
Sciences,  found  the  me^ns  of  using  the  Prussian  blue  to  die 
silk  and  cloth,  in  a  blue  whose  brightness  surpassed  all  the 
blues  hitherto  known.  ' 


75 


which  they  prepare  that  fecula  that  is  sent  to 
Europe  under  the  name  of  indigo.  In  the  pre- 
paration of  this  plant  the  Indians  and  Ameri- 
cans, more  industrious  than  ourselves,  have 
found  out  the  art  of  separating  only  the  co- 
louring parts  of  the  plant  from  the  useless 
ones;  and  the  French  and  Spanish  colonies 
have  imitated  them,  and  thereby  made  a  con- 
siderable increase  of  commerce. 

That  the  indigo,  such  as  is  imported  from 
America,  should  deposite  on  the  wool  or  stuffs 
the  colouring  parts  required  by  the  dier,  it  is 
infused  several  ways,  the  processes  of  which 
we  have  already  given.  They  may  be  reduced 
to  three;  the  cold  indigo  vat  may  serve  for 
thread  and  cotton;  those  fhat  are  made  use  of 
hot,  are  fic  for  stuffs  of  any  kind  whatever. 

In  the  cold  vat,  the  Indigo  is  mixed  with 
pear!  ashes,  copperas  or  green  vitriol,  lime, 
madder,  and  bran.  The  hot  vats  are  either 
prepared  with  water  or  urine  ;  if  with  water, 
pearl-ashes,  and  a  little  madder  must  be  ad- 
ded ;  if  v/ith  urine,  alum  and  tartar  must  be 
joined  to  the  indigo.  Both  of  these  vats,  prin- 
cipally intended  for  wool,  require  a  moderate 
degree  of  heat,  but  at  the  same  time  strong 
enough  for  the  wool  to  take  a  lasting  die,  I 
mean  such  as  will  withstand  the  destroying  ao 
tion  of  the  air  and  sun,  the  proof  of  dies. 

I  have  prepared,  as  I  said  before,  these 
three  vats  in  small,  in  cylindrical  glass  vessels, 
exposed  to  the  light,  in  order  to  see  what  pas- 
sed before  the  infusion  came  to  a  colour,  that 


76 


is,  whether  it  was  green  beneath  the  fiurry  ^ij^ 
the  surface,  which  is  a  sign  of  internal  fermen- 
tation. I  have  said  that  the  green  colour  of  the 
liquor  is  a  condition  absolutely  essential,  and 
without  which  the  colour  the  stuff  would  take 
would  not  be  a  good  die,  and  would  alniost 
entirely  disappear  on  the  least  proofs. 

I  shall  now  give  a  description  of  the  cold  in- 
digo vat  in  sniall,  for  the  changes  are  much 
better  seen  in  her,  and  for  this  reason,  that 
what  happens  in  the  two  others  is  not  very  es- 
sentially different.  It  is  proper  to  take  notice, 
that  what  I  shall  call  part,  in  this  observation 
of  experiments,  is  a  measure  of  the  weight  of 
four  drachms,  of  all  matter  either  liquid  or 
solid,  and  that  it  will  be  this  quantity  that 
rnusc  be  supposed,  each  time  that  I  use  that 
word  in  the  detail  of  these  experiments. 

I  put  three  hundred  parts  of  water  into  a  ves- 
sel, containing  five  hundred  and  twelve,  or 
eight  quarts,  in  which  I  dissolved  six  parts  of 
copperas,  which  gave  the  liquor  a  yellow  die. 
Six  parts  of  pot-ashes  were  also  dissolved  by 
th«^  nsilves  in  thirty  six  parts  of  water.  The 
solution  made,  I  digested  in  it  six  parts,  or 
three  ounces,  of  indigo  of  St.  Domingo  well 
ground  i  it  was  left  over  a  very  gentle  fire  three 
hours.  The  indigo  swelled,  and  taking  up  a 
larger  space,  rose  from  the  bottom  of  this  alka- 
line liquor,  with  which  it  formed  a  kind  of 
thick  syrup,  which  was  blue.  This  was  a 
proof  that  tht  ind'go  was  only  divided,  but 
not  dissolved  ;  for  had  its  solution  been  perfect. 


77 


that  thick  liquor  woulii  have  been  green  instead 
of  blue  ;  for  all  liquor  chat  has  been  tinged 
blue  by  a  vegetable  of  any  kind,  grows  green 
on  the  admixion  of  an  alkaline  salt,  either  con- 
crete or  in  a  liquid  form,  whether  it  be  a  fixed 
or  volatile. 

From  hence  the  reason  is  discovered  why  in- 
digo docs  not  die  a  stuff  of  a  lasting  blue  when 
its  liquor  is  not  green  ;  for  its  solution  not  be- 
ing coinplece,  the  alkali  cannot  act  upon  rhtse 
first  elementary  particles  ^  as  for  exan^ple,  it 
aces  on  the  tincture  of  violets,  which  is  a  per- 
fect solution  of  the  colouring  parts  of  those 
flowers,  which  it  turns  green  in  an  instant,  and. 
on  the  first  contact. 

I  poured  this  thick  blue  liquor  into  the  solu- 
tion of  vitriol,  and  after  w^ell  shaking  the  mix- 
ture, I  added  six  parts  of  lime  that  had  been 
,  slacked  in  the  air;,  it  was  cold  weather  when 
this  experiment  was  made  ;  the  thermometer 
was  at  two  degrees  under  the  freezing  point, 
which  was  the  cause  that  this  was  near  four 
days  coming  to  a  colour,  and  the  fermentation^ 
which  must  naturally  ensue  in  all  virriolic  li- 
quor, where  an  alkaline  salt  has  been  put  in, 
such  as  poc-ashes,  and  an  alkaline  earthy  was  car- 
ried on  with  so  much  slowness  that  very  lit-- 
tie  scum  appeared  on  the  surface  of  the  liquor. 
In  a  hot  season,  and  by  making  use  of  lime 
newly  calcined,  these  kind  of  vats  are  some- 
times fit  to  die  in  four  hours. 

Each  time  I  stirred  the  mixture  with  a  spa- 
tula^.  I  observed  that  the  iron  of  the  vitriol  or 

G  2 


copperas  was  the  first  that  precipitated  to  the 
bo'croni  of  the  vessel,  and  that  the  alkaline  salt 
jhad  preripicated  it,  to  join  itself  to  the  acid. 
Thus  in  this  process  of  the  cold  indigo  vat,  a 
tartar  of  vitriol  after  the  manner  of  Tachenius 
is  formed  ;  wl^ereas  by  the  common  method  of 
preparing  this  neutral  salt,  the  acid  of  vitriol  is 
poured  on  a  true  alkaline  salt,  such  as  salt  of  tar- 
tar or  pot-a dies.  This  again  is  a  circumstance 
that  leads  insensibly  to  the  theory  of  the  good 
die.  I  desire  the  reader  to  take  notice  of  this,  as 
it  will  occur  in  the  sequel  of  this  observation,  as 
well  as  in  other  chapters. 

The  earthy  parts  of  the  lime  precipitate  next 
after  the  iron;  they  are  ea.^ly  distinguished  by 
the  whiteness,  which  are  yet  difficult  to  distin- 
guish when  the  colouring  parts  of  the  indigo 
are  sufficiently  loosened.  In  short,  under  this 
white  earth  the  fecula  of  the  indigo  deposits 
itself,  and  by  degrees  rarifies  in  such  a  manner, 
that  this  substance,  which  the  first  day  was 
only  the  eighth  of  an  inch  above  the  precipi- 
tated rmie,  rose  insensibly  within  half  an  inch 
of  the  surface  of  the  liquor,  and  the  third  day 
grew  so  opaque  and  muddy,  that  nothing  fur- 
ther could  be  distinguished. 

This  rarefaction  of  the  indigo,  slow  in  win- 
ter, quick  in  summer,  and  which  may  be  ac- 
celerated in  winter  by  heating  the  liquor  to  fif- 
teen or  sixteen  degrees,  is  a  proof  that  a  real 
fermentation  happens  in  the  mixture,  which 
opens  the  little  lumps  of  indigo,  and  divides 
them  into  particles  of  an  extreme  fineness  5 


79 


then  their  surfaces  being  multiplied  almost  ad 
infinitum^  they  are  so  much  the  more  equally 
distributed  in  the  liquor,  which  deposiis  them 
equally  on  the  subject  dipped  in  to  take  the 
die. 

If  fermentation  comes  on  hastily,  or  in  a 
few  hours,  whether  on  account  of  the  heat  of 
the  air,  or  by  the  help  of  a  small  fire,  a  great 
quantity  of  flurry  appears  \  it  .is  blue,  and  its 
reflection  they  have  also  named  coppery,  be- 
cause the  colours  of  the  rainbow  appear  in  ir> 
and  the  red  and  yellow  here  predominate  ;  how- 
ever th  s  phasnomenon  is  not  peculiar  to  indi- 
go, since  the  same  reflection  is  perceived  in  all 
mixtures  that  are  in  actual  fermentation,  and 
particularly  in  those  which  contain  fat  particles 
blended  with  salts,  urine,  soot,  and  several 
other  bodies  put  into  ferm.entation,  show  oa 
their  surface  the  same  variegated  colours. 

The  flurry  of  the  indigo  vat  appears  blue^ 
because  exposed  to  the  external  air ;  but  if  a 
small  portion  of  the  liquor  which  is  under  It 
be  taken  up  with  a  spoon,  it  appears  more  or 
less  green  in  proportion  as  it  is  filled  with  co- 
louring particles.  In  the  course  of  this  obser- 
vation, I  shall  show  the  reason  of  this  dif- 
ference, or,  at  least,  a  probable  explication  of 
this  change  of  blue,  which,  as  I  have  said  be- 
fore, is  absolutely  necessary  for  succeeding  in 
the  process  described. 

i  When  the  vat  is  in  this  state,  it  has  already 
been  said  taat  cotton,  thread,  cloths  wove 
from  them,  &c»  may  be  died  in  her^  and  the 


8o 


colours  which  they  take  are  of  the  good  die , 
th:it  is,  this  rocton  and  thread  will  maintain 
them,  even  after  remaining  a  suitable  time  in 
a  solution  of  white  soap,  actually  boiling. 
This  is  the  proof  given  them  preferable  to  any 
other,  because  the  linen  and  cotten  cloths  must 
be  washed  with  soap  when  dirty. 

Though  tlie  indigo  'iquor  which  is  in  this 
state  can  make  a  lasting  die  without  the  addition 
or  any  other  ingredients ;  the  diers  who  use  this 
cold  vac  add,  as  in  the  other  hot  vats,  a  decoc- 
tion of  madder  and  bran  in  common  water  run 
through  a  sieve ;  this  is  what  they  call  bever. 
They  put  madder  to  insure,  as  they  say,  the 
colour  of  the  indigo,  because-  this  root  affords 
a  colour  so  adhesive  that  it  stands  all  proofs  ; 
they  put  the  bran  to  soften  the  water,  which 
they  imagine  generally  to  contain  some  portion 
of  an  acid  sale,  v;hich,  according  to  their  opi- 
nion, must  be  deadened. 

This  was  the  opinion  of  the  French  diers 
against  indigo  in  the  days  of  Monsieur  Col- 
bert; and  as  this  minister  could  not  spare  time 
to  see  the  experiments  performed  in  his  pre- 
sence, on  the  foundation  of  this  report,  he  for- 
bade indigo  to  be  used  alone.  But  since  the 
government  has  been  convinced,  by  new  expe- 
riments miade  by  the  late  Mr.  Dufay,  that  the 
stability  of  the  blue  die  of  this  ingredient  was 
such  as  could  be  desired  ;  the  new  regulation 
of  1737  licences  the  diers  to  use  it  alone,  or 
mixed  with  woad  ;  so  that  if  they  continue  to 
use  the  madder,  it  is  rather  because  this  root 


8i 

giving  a  pretty  deep  red,  and  this  red  mixing 
with  the  blue  of  the  indigo^  gives  it  a  tint 
which  approaches  the  violet,  and  also  a  fine 
hue. 

As  to  the  bran,  its  use  is  not  to  deaden  the 
pretended  acid  salts,  but  to  disperse  through - 
out  a  quantity  of  sizey  matter;  for  the  small 
portion  of  flour  which  renuins  in  ir,  dividing 
itself  into  the  liquor,  must  diminish  in  some 
measure  its  fluidity,  and  consequently  prevent 
the  colouring  p:irric!es  which  are  suspended  in 
it,  being  precipitated  too  quick,  in  a  liquor 
which  had  not  acquired  a  certain  degree  of 
thickness. 

Notwithstanding  this  distributed  through- 
out the  liquor,  as  well  from  the  bran  as  the 
madder,  which  also  affx)rds  something  gluti- 
nous, the  colouring  particles  will  subside  if 
the  liquor  remains  some  days  without  being 
stirred  ;  then  the  top  of  the  liquor  gives  but  a 
feeble  tint  to  the  body  dipped  in,  and  if  a 
strong  one  is  wanted,  the  mixture  m^st  be  ra- 
ked, and  left  to  rest  an  hour  or  two,  that  the 
iron  in  the  c{)pperas,  and  the  gross  parts  of 
the  lime  may  fall  to  the  bottom,  which  other- 
wise would  mix  with  the  true  colouring  parti- 
cles, an  !  prejudice  their  die,  by  depositing  on 
the  body  to  be  died  a  substance  that  would 
have  but  lit  le  adhesion,  which  in  drying  would 
become  friable,  and  of  which  each  minute  part 
would  occupy  a  space,  wliere  the  true  colour- 
ing particle  could  neither  introduce  nor  depo« 


82 


posit  itself  by  an  immediate  contact  on  the  sub- 
ject. 

Not  to  deviate  from  the  method  followed  by 
the  Diers,  I  boiled  one  part  of  grape-madder 
and  one  of  bran,  in  174  parts  of  water:  this 
proportion  of  water  is  not  necessary,  more  or 
less  may  be  put,  but  I  wanted  to  fill  my  ves> 
sel,  which  contained  512  parts.  I  passed  this 
bever  through  a  cloth  and  squeezed  it,  putting 
this  liquor,  still  hot,  and  which  was  of  a  blood- 
red,  into  the  indigo  liquor,  observing  the  ne- 
cessary precautions  to  prevent  the  breaking  of 
the  glass  vessel.  The  whole  was  well  stirred, 
and  two  hours  after  the  liquor  was  green,  and 
consequently  fit  for  dieing.  It  died  cotton  of 
a  lasting  blue,  somewhat  brighter  than  it  was 
before  the  addition  of  the  red  of  ma  ider. 

I  shall  now  endeavour  to  find  out  the  partic- 
ular cause  of  the  solidity  of  this  colour;  per- 
haps it  may  be  the  general  cause  of  t!ie  tenaci- 
ty of  all  the  rest ;  for  it  appears  already,  from 
the  experim^ents  above  related,  that  tiiis  tenaci- 
ty depends  on  rhe  choice  of  salts,  which  are 
added  to  the  decoctions  of  the  colouring 
ingredients,  v/hen  the  same  ingredients  con- 
tain none  in  themselves.  If  from  the  conse- 
quences which  shall  result  from  the  choice  of 
these  salts,  of  their  nature,  and  of  their  pro- 
perties, it  be  admitted  (and  it  cannot  be  fairly 
denied)  that  they  afford  more  or  less  tenuity 
in  the  homogeneous  colouring  parts  of  the  die- 
ing ingredients^  the  whole  theory  of  this  art 


83 


will  be  discovered,  without  having  recourse  to 
uncertain  or  contested  causes. 

One  may  easily  conceive  that  the  salts  added 
to  the  indigo  vats  not  only  open  the  natural 
pores  of  the  subject  to  be  died,  but  also  unfold 
the  colouring  atoms  of  the  indigo. 

In  the  other  preparations  of  dies  (to  be  men- 
tioned hereafter)  the  woolen  stuffs  are  boiled 
in  a  solution  of  salts,  which  the  Dyers  call 
preparation.  In  this  preparation  tartar  and  a- 
lum  are  generally  used.  In  some  hours  the 
suff  is  taken  out,  slightly  squeezed,  and  kept 
damp  for  some  days  in  a  cool  place,  that  the 
saline  liquor  which  remains  in  it  may  still  act 
and  piepare  it  for  the  reception  of  the  die  of 
these  ingredients,  in  the  decoction  of  which  in 
is  plunged  to  boil  again.  Without  this  prepa- 
ration, experience  shows  that  the  colours  will 
not  be  lasting,  at  least  for  the  greatest  part ; 
for  it  must  be  owned  that  there  are  some  in- 
gredierjts  which  yield  lasting  colours,  though 
the  stuff  has  not  previously  undergone  this  pre- 
paration, because  the  ingredient  contains  in  it- 
self these  salts. 

It  is  therefore  necessary,  that  the  natural 
pores  of  the  fibres  of  the  wool  should  be  en- 
larged and  cleansed  by  the  help  of  those  salts, 
which  are  ahvays  somewhat  corroding,  and 
perhaps  they  open  new  pores  for  the  reception 
of  the  colouring  atoms  contained  in  the  ingre- 
dients. The  boiling  of  this  liquor  drivrs  in 
the  atoms  by  repeated  strokes.  The  pores  al- 
ready enlarged  by  these  salts,  are  further  dila^ 


84 

ted  by  the  heat  of  the  boiling  water;  they  are 
afterwards  contracted  by  the  external  cold  when 
the  died  matter  is  taken  out  of  the  copper, 
when  it  is  exposed  to  the  external  air,  or  when 
it  is  plunged  into  cold  water.  Thus  the  colour- 
ing acoin  is  taken  in,  and  detained  in  the  pores 
or  fissures  of  the  died  body,  by  the  springi- 
ness of  its  fibres,  which  have  contracted  and 
restored  themselves  ro  their  first  state,  and  have 
re  assumed  their  primary  stiffness  upon  being 
exposed  to  the  cold. 

If,  besidts  this  spring  of  the  sides  of  the 
pore,  it  be  supposed  that  these  sides  have  been 
plaistered  inwardly  with  a  layer  of  the  saline 
liquor,  it  will  appear  plainly  that  this  is  ano- 
ther means  employed  by  art  to  detain  the  co- 
louring atom  'y  for  this  atom,  having  entered 
into  the  pore,  while  the  saline  cement  of  the 
sides  was  yet  in  a  state  of  solution,  and  conse- 
quently fluid ;  and  this  cement  being  after- 
wards con<^ealed  by  the  external  cold,  the  atom 
is  thereby  detained ;  by  the  spring  which  has 
bv^en  mentioned,  and  by  this  saline  cement, 
which  by  crystalization  is  become  hard,  forms 
a  kind  of  mastic  vv'hich  is  not  easily  removed. 

If  the  coloured  arom,  (which  is  as  small  as 
the  little  eminence  that  af^pears  at  the  entrance 
of  the  pore,  and  without  which  the  subject 
would  not  appear  died)  be  sufficiently  protu- 
berant to  be  exposed  to  more  powerful  shocks 
than  the  resistance  of  the  sides  of  the  cement 
that  retains  it,  then  the  die  resulting  from  all 
these  atoms  sufficiently  retained,  will  be  ex- 


85 


tremely  lasting,  and  in  the  rank  of  the  good 
die,  provided  the  saline  coat  can  neither  be 
carried  off  by  cold  water,  such  as  rain,  nor 
calcined  or  reduced  to  powder  by  the  rays  of 
the  sun  ;  for  every  lasting  colour,  or  colour  be  - 
longing to  the  good  die,  must  withstand  these 
two  proofs.  No  other  can  reasonably  be  ex- 
pected in  stuffs  designed  for  apparel  or  furni- 
ture. 

I  know  but  of  two  salts  in  chymistry,  which, 
being  once  crystalized,  can  be  moistened  with 
cold  water  without  dissolving ;  and  there  are 
few  besides  these  that  can  remain  several  days 
exposed  to  the  sun,  without  being  reduced  to 
a  flour  or  white  powder.  These  are  tartar, 
either  as  taken  from  the  wine  vessels,  or  puri- 
fied, and  tartar  of  vitriol.  The  tartar  of  vi- 
triol may  be  made  by  mixing  a  salt  already  al-^ 
kalized,  (or  that  may  become  such  when  the 
acid  is  drove  out  with  a  salt  whose  acid  is  vi- 
triolic, as  copperas  and  alum);  this  is  easily 
effected  if  it  be  v/eaker  than  the  acid  of  vitriol, 
and  such  is  the  acid  of  all  essential  salts  ex- 
tracted from  vegetables. 

In  the  process  of  the  blue  vat,  v/hich  I  tried 
in  small,  to  discover  the  cause  of  its  effects, 
copperas  and  pot-ash,  (which  is  a  prepared  al- 
kali)  are  mixed  together;  as  soon  as  these  so- 
lutions are  united,  the  alkali  precipitates  the 
iron  of  the  copperas  in  form  of  powder  almost 
black ;  the  vitriolic  acid  of  the  copperas,  di- 
vested of  its  metallic  basis  by  its  union  with 
he  alkali,  forms  a  neutral  salt,  called  tartar 

H 


8^ 


of  vitriol y  as  when  made  with  the  salt  of  tar- 
tar  and  the  vitriolic  acid  already  separated  from 
ks  basis;  for  all  alkalis,  from  whatever  vege- 
tables they  are  extracted,  are  perfectly  alike, 
provided  they  have  been  equally  calcined* 

More  difficulties  will  occur  with  regard  to 
the  water  for  the  preparation  of  other  colours, 
such  as  reds  and  yellows.  It  may  be  denied 
that  a  tartar  of  vitriol  can  result  from  the  mix- 
ture of  alum  and  crude  tartar  boiled  together j 
yet  the  theory  is  the  samic,  and  I  do  not  know 
that  it  can  be  otherwise  conceived.  The  alum 
is  a  salt,  consisting  of  the  vitriolic  acid  united 
with  an  earth ;  by  adding  an  alkali,  the  earth 
is  immediately  precipitated,  and  the  tartar  soon 
forms;  but  instead  of  this  alkaline  salt,  alum 
is  boiled  with  the  crude  tartar,  which  is  the  es- 
sential salt  of  wine,  that  is,  a  salt  composed 
of  the  vinous  acid,  (which  is  more  volatile 
than  the  vitriolic)  and  of  oil,  both  concentra- 
ted in  a  small  portion  of  earth. 

This  salt,  as  is  known  to  chymists,  becomes 
alkali  by  divesting  it  of  its  acid.  Thus  when 
the  alum  and  crude  tartar  are  boiled  together, 
besides  the  impression  which  the  fibres  of  the 
stuff  to  be  died  receive  from  the  first  of  these 
salts,  which  is  somewhat  corrosive,  the  tartar 
is  also  purified,  and  by  the  addition  of  the 
earth,  which  is  separated  from  the  alum,  (and 
which  has  near  the  same  effect  upon  the  tartar, 
as  the  earth  of  Merviels^  which  is  used  at 
Montpellier  in  manufacturing  cream  of  tartar) 
it  becomes  clear  and  transparent.  It  may  very 


8-7 


probably  happen,  that  the  vitriolic  acid  of  the 
alum,  driving  out  a  part  of  the  vegetable  acid 
of  the  tartar,,  a  tartar  of  vitriol  may  be  formed 
as  hard  and  transparent  as  the  crystal  of  tartar. 
Admitting  one  or  other  of  these  suppositions, 
consequently  there  is  in  the  open  pores  of  the 
wool  a  saline  cement  which  crystalizes  as  soon 
as  the  stuff  which  comes  out  of  the  die  is  ex- 
posed to  the  cold  air,  v/hich  cannot  be  cai- 
cined  by  heat,  nor  is  soluble  in  cold  water.  I 
could  not  avoid  making  tlus  digression* 

This  theory  is  common  to  the  indigo  vac, 
where  urine  is  used  instead  of  water  ;  aium  and 
cmde  tartar  in  the  place  of  vitriol  and  pot- 
ashes. This  urine  vac  gives  a  lasting  die  only 
when  used  hoc,  and  then  the  wool  must  re- 
main rn  an  hour  or  two  to  take  the  die  equally* 
As  soon  as  the  vat  is  cold,  she  strikes  no  more 
die;  the  reason  of  this  would  be  difficult  to 
discover  in  an  opaque  metal  vat,  but  in  a  glass 
vessel  it  is  easily  seen. 

I  let  this  little  glass  proof  vat  cool,  and  all 
the  green  colour,  which  was  suspended  in  it 
while  hot,  precipitated  little  by  little  to  the 
bottom;  for  then  the  tartar  crystaliziiig  itself, 
and  reuniting  in  heavier  masses  than  its  mocu- 
las  were  during  the  heat  of  the  liquor,  and  its 
solution,  it  sunk  to  the  bottom  of  the  vessel, 
and  carried  with  it  the  colouring  particles. 

When  I  restored  this  liquor  to  its  former 
degree  of  heat,  after  shaking  it,  and  letting  it 
setde  a  while,  I  dipped  a  piece  of  cloth,  which 
I  took  out  one  hour  after,  with  as  lasting  a  die 


.88 


as  the  first ;  so  that  when  this  vat  is  used  anii 
fie  to  work,  the  tartar  is  to  be  kept  in  a  state 
of  solution,  which  cannot  be  done  but  by  a 
pretiy  strong  heat.  The  alkali  of  the  urine 
greens  it,  the  alum  prepares  the  fibres  of  the 
wool,  and  the  crystal  of  tartar  secures  the 
die  by  cementing  the  colouring  atoms  deposited 
in  the  pores. 

There  still  remains  a  difBcuUy  with  respect 
to  the  indigo  var,  in  which,  neither  vitriol, 
alum,  or  tartar  are  used,  but  only  pearl-ashes 
in  equal  quantity  with  the  indigo,  and  which  is 
pretty  briskly  heated  to  die  the  wool  and 
stufTs.  But  before  I  enter  into  the  cause  of  the 
solidity  of  its  die,  which  is  equal  to  that  of  the 
other  blue  vats  where  the  other  salts  already 
mentioned  enter,  I  must  examine  into  the  na- 
ture of  pearl-ashes,  which  are  the  lees  of  vvine 
dried  and  calcined  :  it  is  therefore  an  alkaline 
salt,  of  the  nature  of  salt  of  tartar,  but  less 
pure,  as  proceeding  from  the  heaviest  parts  of 
the  dregs  of  wine,  and  consequently  the  most 
earthy;  besides,  the  alkali  of  the  pearl-ashes 
is  never  as  homogeneous  as  the  alkaline  salt  of 
tartar  well  calcined,  and  there  are  scarcely  any 
pearl-ashes  not  purified,  from  which  a  consi- 
derable quantity  of  tartar  of  vitriol  may  not  be 
obtained;  it  is  even  probable  by  an  experiment 
which  I  have  related,  that  it  might  at  length  be 
entirely  converted  into  this  neutraj  salt;  the 
same  may  be  said  of  pot-ashes,  and  of  all  other 
alkaline  salts,  whose  basis  are  not  that  of  the 
marine  salt. 


89 


The  want  of  this  homogeneous  quality,  is 
the  cause  that  pearl-ashes  never  fall  entirely  in- 
to deliquium  in  the  air^  therefore  since  expe- 
rience shows  that  there  is  a  tartar  of  vitriol 
already  formed  in  the  pearl-ashes,  it  is  evident: 
that  this  indigo  var,  which  does  not  give  a 
good  die  until  the  liquor  has  been  so  briskly 
heated  as  not  to  suffer  the  hand  without  scald- 
ing, v;ill  dissolve  the  small  portion  of  tartar  of 
vitriol  that  is  contained  in  it,  and  consequent- 
ly this  sale  will  introduce  itself  into  the  pores 
of  the  wool  to  cleanse  and  cement  them,  and 
will  coagulate  therein  on  the  wool  being  takea 
out  of  the  liquor,  and  exposed  to  the  air  to 
cool. 

I  must  now  give  the  reason  why  the  indigo 
vat  is  green  under  the  first  surface  of  the  li- 
quor; why  this  liquor  must  be  green  that  the 
blue  die  may  be  lasting,  and  why  the  stuff  that 
is  taken  green  out  of  the  liquor  becomes  blue  as 
soon  as  it  is  aired.  All" these  conditions  being 
of  necessity  common  to  all  indigo  vats  either 
coki  or  hotj  the  same  explication  will  serve  for 
them  all. 

!•  The  flurry  v/hich  rises  on  the  surface  of 
the  indigo  liquor  when  it  is  fit  die  is  blue,  and 
the  under  part  of  this  scum  is  green  ;  these  two 
circumstances  prove  the  perfect  solution  of  the 
indigo,  and  that  the  alkaline  salt  is  united  to 
itb  colouring  atoms  since  it  greens  them,  for 
without  they  would  remain  blue. 

2.  These  circumstances  prove  that  there  is 
also  in  the  indigo  a  volatile  urinous  alkali^ 

H  2 


90 


which  the  fixt  alkali  of  the  pot-ash,  or  the  alka- 
line earth  of  the  lime  displays,  and  which 
evaporates  very  shortly  after  the  exposition  of 
this  scuai  to  the  air.  The  existence  of  this 
urinous  volatile  appears  plainly  by  the  smell  of 
the  vat  during  the  fermentation ;  when  stirred, 
or  when  heated,  the  smell  is  sharp,  and  resem- 
bles that  of  stinking  meat  roasted. 

3.  In  the  preparation  of  the  anil,  inorderto 
separate  the  fecula,  a  fermentation  is  continued 
to  putrefaction.  All  rotten  plants  are  urinous 
f  his  volatile  urinous  quality  is  produced  by  the 
intimate  union  of  salts  with  the  vegetable  oil, 
or  is  owing  to  a  prodigious  quantity  of  insects 
filling  on  all  sides  of  fermenting  plants,  and 
attracted  by  the  smell  exhaling  from  them, 
where  they  live,  multiply,  and  die  in  them, 
and  consequently  deposit  a  number  of  dead  bo- 
dies; therefore  to  this  vegetable  substance  an 
animal  one  is  united,  whose  salt  is  always  an 
urinous  volatile.  This  same  urinous  quality 
exists  also  in  the  woad,  w^hich  is  prepared  after 
the  same  manner,  viz.  by  fermentation  and 
putrefaction,  and  which  will  be  further  explain- 
ed in  the  abridged  narrative  of  its  preparation, 

4.  And  lastly,  if  indigo  or  woad  be  distilled 
in  a  retort,  either  alone,  or  (which  is  much 
better)  with  some  fixed  saline  or  earthy  alkali 
added  to  it,  a  Tquor  will  be  obtained,  which, 
by  all  chymical  essays,  produces  the  same  ef- 
fects as  volatile  spirits  of  urine. 

Why  does  not  this  volatile  urinous  quality 
in  the  indigo  cause  it  to  appear  green,  since 


91 

it  must  be  equally  distributed  through  all  its 
parts?  And  why  does  indigo,  being  dissolved 
in  plain  boiling  water,  tinge  it  blue  and  not 
green?  It  is  because  this  volatile  urinous  sale 
is  not  concreted  that  it  requires  another  body 
more  active  than  boiling  water  to  drive  it  out 
of  the  particles  surrounding  it;  and  the  solution 
of  indigo  is  never  perfected  by  water  alone; 
whatever  degree  of  heat  is  given,  it  is  only  di- 
luted, and  not  dissolved  in  it.  Indeed  this  de- 
coction of  indigo  blues  the  stuffs  that  are  dip- 
ped, but  the  blue  is  not  equally  laid  on,  and 
boiling  water  alnnost  instantly  discharges  it.  1 
shall  endeavour  to  answer  this  by  an  example 
drawn  from  another  subject. 

Salt  ammoniac,  from  which  chymists  extract 
the  most  penetrating  volatile  spirit,  has  not 
that  quick  urinous  smell  by  dissolving  and 
boiling  it  in  water;  either  lime,  or  fixed  alka- 
line salt,  must  be  added  to  disengage  the  urin- 
ous volatile  parts.  In  like  manner,  the  indigo 
requires  fixed  saline,  or  earthy  alkalis,  to  be 
exacdy  discomposed,  that  its  volatile  urinous 
salt  may  be  discovered,  and  that  its  colouring 
atoms  may  be  reduced  probably  to  their  ele- 
mentary minuteness. 

1  now  come  to  the  second  quality  required. 
The  liquor  of  the  indigo  vat  must  be  green, 
that  the  die  may  be  lasting;  for  the  indigo 
would  not  be  exactly  dissolved,  if  the  alkali  did 
not  act  upon  it.  Its  solution  not  being  as  perfect 
as  it  ought  to  be,  its  die  would  be  neither  equal 
nor  lasting ;  but  as  soon  as  the  alkaline  salts 


92 


act  upon  ir,  they  must  green  it ;  for  an  alkali, 
mix:  d  v;ith  the  blue  juice  or  tincture  of  any 
plant  or  flower,  immediately  turns  it  green, 
Vvhen  equally  distributed  on  all  its  colouring 
parts.  But  if  by  evaporation  these  same  parts, 
coloured,  or  colouring,  have  re-united  them- 
selves into  hard  and  compact  masses,  the  alkali 
will  not  change  their  colour  till  it  has  penetra- 
ted, divided,  and  reduced  them  to  their  primary 
fineness.  This  is  the  case  with  indigo,  whose 
fecula  is  the  dry  inspissated  juice  of  the  anil. 

With  respect  to  the  last  circumstance,  which 
is  that  the  stuff  must  be  green  on  coming  out 
of  the  liquor,  and  become  blue  as  soon  as  it  is 
aired,  without  which,  the  blue  would  not  be  of 
a  good  die,  the  following  reasons  may  be 
given  :  it  is  taken  out  green  because  the  liquor 
is  green;  if  it  was  not,  the  alkaline  salt  put 
into  the  vat  would  not  be  equally  distributed, 
or  the  indigo  v/ould  not  be  exactly  dissolved. 
If  the  alkali  was  not  equally  distributed,  the 
liquor  contained  in  the  vat  would  not  be 
equally  saline  :  the  botrom  of  this  liquor  would 
contain  all  the  salt;  the  upper  would  be  insi- 
pid^  In  this  case,  the  stuff  dipped  in  would 
neither  be  prepared  to  receive  the  die,  nor  to 
retain  it;  but  vvhen  it  is  taken  out  green  at  the 
end  of  a  quarter  of  an  hour's  dipping,  it  is  a 
proof  that  the  liquor  was  equally  saline,  and 
equally  loaded  with  colouring  atoms;  it  is 
also  a  sign,  that  the  alkaline  salts  have  insinu- 
ated themselves  into  the  pores  of  the  fibres  of 
the  stuff  and  enlarged  them,  as  has  been  ob- 


93 


served,  and  perhaps  have  formed  new  ones.. 
Now  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  an  alkaline  salt 
may  have  this  effect  on  a  woolen  stuff*,  when 
it  is  evidenc  that  a  very  sharp  alkaline  ley  burns 
and  dissolves  almost  in  an  instant  a  flock  of 
wool  or  a  feather. 

A  process  in  dieing  called,  by  the  French, 
foyite  de  bourre^  that  is,  the  melting  or  dissol- 
ving of  flock  or  hair,  is  stiil  a  further  example. 
The  hair,  which  is  used  an-d  boiled  in  a  solu- 
tion of  pearl-ashes  in  urine,  is  so  perfectly  dis- 
solved as  not  to  leave  the  least  fibre  remaining. 
Therefore  if  a  lixivium,  extremely  sharp,  en- 
tirely destroys  the  wool,  a  ley  which  shall  have 
but  a  quantity  of  alkaline  salt  sufficient  to  act 
on  the  wool  without  destroying  it,  will  prepare 
the  pores  to  receive  and  preserve  the  colouring 
atoiiis  of  the  indigo. 

The  stuff*  is  aired  after  being  taken  green  out 
of  the  vat,  and  after  wringing  it  becomes  blue. 
What  is  done  by  airing  ?  it  is  cooled  ^  if  it  is 
the  urinous  volatile  detached  from  the  indigo 
which  gave  it  this  green  colour,  it  evaporates^ 
and  the  blue  appears  again ;  if  it  is  the  fixed 
alkaline  that  causes  this  green,  not  only  the 
greatest  part  is  carried  off^  by  the  strong  ex- 
pression of  the  stufl^^,  but  what  remains  can  have 
no  more  action  on  the  colouring  part,  because 
the  small  atom  of  tartar  of  vitriol,  which  con- 
tains a  coloured  atom  still  less  than  itself,  is 
crystalized  the  instant  of  its  exposition  to  the 
cold  air,  and  contracting  this  same  colouring 
atom  by  the  help  of  the  spring  at  the  sides  of 


94 


the  pore,  it  entirely  presses  out  the  remaindep 
of  the  alkali,  which  does  not  crystalize  as  a 
neutral  salt. 

The  blue  is  roused,  that  is,  it  beeomes 
brighter  and  finer  by  soaking  the  died  stuff  in 
warai  water,  for  then  the  colouring  particles, 
which  had  only  a  superficial  adherence  to  the 
fibres  of  the  wool,  are  carried  off.  Soap  is 
used  as  a  proof  of  the  lasting  of  the  blue  die, 
and  it  must  stand  it,  for  the  soap,  which  is  only 
used  in  a  snnall  quantity  in  proportion  to  the 
water,  and  whose  action  on  the  died  pattern  is 
fixed  to  five  minutes,  is  an  alkali,  mitigated  by 
the  oil,  which  cannot  act  upon  a  neutral  salt. 
If  it  discharges  the  pattern  of  any  part  of  its 
colour,  it  is  because  its  parts  were  but  superfi- 
cially adhering;  besides,  the  little  saline  crys- 
tal which  is  set  in  the  pore,  whose  use  is  to 
cement  the  colouring  atom,  cannot  be  dissolved" 
in  so  short  a  time,  so  as  to  come  out  of  the  pore 
with  the  atom  it  retains. 

This  treatise  lays  down  the  essay  of  a  method 
of  dieing  different  from  any  hitherto  offered.  I 
appeal  to  philosophers,  who  would  think  little 
of  a  simple  narative  of  processes,  if  I  did  not  at 
the  same  time  give  their  theory.  I  shall  follow 
this  method  in  the  other  experiments  on  reds, 
the  yellows,  or  other  simple  colours,  as  it  is 
absolutely  necessary  to  have  a  knowledge  of 
them  before  entering  on  the  compound,  as 
these  are  generally  but  colours  laid  on  one  af- 
ter the  other,  and  seldom  mixed  together  in  the 
same  liquor  or  decoction. 


95 


Thus  having  once  the  knowledge  of  what 
procures  the  tenacity  of  a  simple  colour,  ic 
will  be  more  easily  known,  if  the  second  co- 
lour can  take  place  in  the  spaces  the  first  have 
left  empty  without  displacing  the  first. 

This  is  the  idea  which  I  have  formed  to  my- 
self of  the  arrangement  of  different  colours 
laid  on  the  same  stuff,  for  it  appears  to  me  a 
matter  of  great  difficulty  to  conceive  that  the 
colouring  atoms  can  place  themselves  the  one 
on  the  other,  and  thus  form  kinds  of  pyramids, 
each  still  preserving  their  colour,  so  that  from 
a  mixture  of  the  whole  a  com.pound  colour 
shall  result,  and  which,  notwithstanding,  shall 
appear  uniform,  and  as  it  were  hom>ogeneous. 
To  adopt  this  system,  we  must  suppose  a 
transparency  in  these  atoms,  v>^hich  it  would  be 
difficult  to  demonstrate  5  and  further,  that  a 
yellov/  atom  must  place  itself  immediately  on 
a  blue  one,  already  set  in  the  pore  of  the  fibre 
of  a  stuff,  and  that  it  must  remain  there 
strongly  bound,  so  that  they  must  touch  each 
other  with  extreme  smooth  surfaces,  and  so 
with  every  new  colour  laid  on. 

It  is  not  easy  to  conceive  all  this,  and  it  ap- 
pears more  probable,  that  the  first  colour  has 
only  taken  up  the  pores  that  it  found  open  by 
the  first  preparation  of  the  fibres  of  the  stuff ; 
that  on  the  side  of  these  pores  there  remains 
more  still  to  be  filled,  or  at  least  spaces  not 
occupied,  where  new  pores  may  be  opened  to 
lodge  the  new  atoms  of  a  second  colour,  by 
the  means  of  a  second  preparation  of  water, 


96 


composed  of  corroding  salts,  which  being  the 
same  as  those  of  the  first  preparing  liquor,  will 
not  destroy  the  first  saline  crystals  introduced 
into  the  first  pores. 

What  has  been  already  said  with  regard  to 
the  indigo  var,  may  also  serve  to  explain  the 
action  of  the  woad  vat  on  wool  and  stufl^s  ;  ic 
is  only  supposing  in  the  woad,  that  salts  do 
naturally  exist,  pretty  near  of  affinity  to  those 
that  are  added  to  the  indigo  vat.  It  appears 
by  the  description  given  of  these  vats,  that  the 
v/oad  vat  is  by  much  the  most  difficult  to  con- 
duct. I  am  convinced  that  these  difficulties 
might  be  removed,  if  an  attempt  was  made  to 
prepare  the  isatisas  the  anil  is  in  the  West  In- 
dies. I  shall  therefore  compare  their  different  * 
preparations.  1  have  taken  the  following  nara- 
live  from  the  memoirs  of  Mr.  Astruc's 
ioire  Naturelle  du  Languedoc,  Paris,  Cava- 
Her  1737,  in  4.to,  p,  330  and  331. 

According  to  the  opmion  of  diers,  woad 
only  gives  feeble  and  ianguishing  colours; 
whereas  those  of  the  indigo  are  lively  and 
*^  bright.  This  opinion  I  grant  is  conform- 
able  to  reason  :  the  indigo  is  a  fine  subtle 
powder ;  consequently  capable  to  penetrate 
the  stuffs  easily,  and  give  them  a  shining  co- 
lour.  The  woad,  on  the  contrary,  is  only  a 
gross  plant,  loaded  with  many  earthy  parts, 
which  slacken  the  action  and  motion  of  the 
"  finer  parts,  and  prevent  them  from  acting 
efi^ectually. 


97 

I  know  but  one  way  to  remove  this  incon- 
veniency,  that  is,  to  pre[)are  the  woad  after 
"  the  same  manner  the  indigo  is  prepared  ,  by 
this  means,  the  colours  obtained  from  the 
woad  would  acquire  the  lively  and  bright 
qualities  of  those  procured  from  the  indigo, 
without  diminishing  in  the  least  the  excel- 
*^  lency  of  the  colours  produced  by  the  woad. 
"  I  have  already  made  in  small*  experiments 
on  what  I   propose,  and  those  experiments 
have  succeeded,  not  only  in  the  preparation 
of  the  powder  of  woad,  but  also  in  the  use 
of  this  powder  for  dicing." 
It  is  incumbent  on  those  who  have  the  pub- 
lic good  at  heart,  to  cause  trials  at  large  to  be 
made,  and  if  they  have  the  success  that  can 
reasonably  be  expected,  it  will  be  proper  to  en- 
courage those  who  cultivate  woad,  to  follow 
this  new  method  of  preparing  it,  and  offer  pre- 
miums to  enable  them  to  sustain  the  expenses 
this  new  practice  will  engage  them  in,  until 
the  advantage  they  will  reap  from  it  may  be 
sufficient  to  determine  them  to  follow  it. 

I  shall  now  propose  the  means  to  succee^  in 
Mr.  Astruc's  experiments,  and  these  means  na- 
turally result  from  considering  the  method  used 
in  Languedoc  for  the  preparation  of  woad, 
and  the  ingenious  method  by  which  they  sepa- 
rate chefecula  of  the  anil  in  America.    I  have 

*  As  this  ingen  oris  man  has  succeeded  in  sr^irili  experi- 
ments, it  is  pi  oV>3b]e  hr  ^A  jiild  aho  in  tne  large  ones  j  and  then 
this  plant  easily  cnhivaied  in  England,  would  well  rtcom- 
pence  the  pains  of  the  husbandman. 

I 


98 


already  given  the  preparation  of  this  last ;  those 
who  desire  a  fuller  description  may  consult 
rHtstotre  des  Antilles  du  P.  du  Tertre  ^  du  P. 
Labat.  The  following  preparation  of  the  pas- 
tel, or  garden  woad,  is  thus  described  by  Mr» 
Astruc. 

The  manufacturing  of  Pastel^  or  Garden  Woad 
in  France. 

Peasants  of  Abbigevois  distinguish  two 
kinds  of  woad  seed  :  the  one  Violet  colour,  the 
other  yellow  ;  they  prefer  the  for»ncr,  because 
the  woad  rhat  shoots  froai  it  bears  leaves  that 
are  smooth  and  polished,  whereas  thosr  that 
spring  from  the  yellow  are  hairy ;  this  fills 
them  with  earth  and  dust,  which  makts  the 
woad  prepared  from  them  of  a  won>e  qua- 
lity. This  woad  is  called  pastelbourgy  or  bour» 
daigne. 

The  woad  at  first  shoots  five  or  six  leaves 
out  of  the  ground,  which  stand  upright  whilst 
green  ;  they  are  a  foot  long,  and  six  inches 
broad  ;  they  begin  to  ripen  in  June  \  they  are 
known  to  be  rjpe  by  their  falling  down  and 
growing  yellow  ;  they  are  then  gathered,  and 
the  ground  cleared  from  weeds,  which  js  care- 
fully repeated  each  crop. 

If  there  has  been  rain,  a  second  crop  is  ob- 
tained in  July  ;  rain  or  dry  weather  advances 
or  retards  it  eight  days.  The  third  crop  is  at 
the  latter  end  of  August;  a  fourth  the  latter 
end  of  September  \  and  the  fifth  and  last  about 


99 


the  tenth  of  November-  This  last  crop  is  the 
most  considerable,  the  interval  being  longer. 
The  plant  at  this  crop  is  cut  at  the  root  from 
whence  the  leaves  spring.  This  woad  is  not 
good,  and  the  last  crop  is  forbid  by  the  regu- 
lations. The  woad  is  not  to  be  gathered  in 
foggy  or  rainy  weather,  but  in  serene  weather, 
when  the  sun  has  been  out  some  time. 

At  each  crop  the  leaves  are  brought  to  the 
mill  CO  be  ground,  and  reduced  to  a  fine  paste; 
this  is  to  be  done  speedily,  for  the  leaves  when 
left  in  a  heat  ferment,  and  soon  rot  with  an  in- 
tolerable stench.  These  mills  are  like  the  oil 
or  bark-mills,  that  is,  a  mill-stone  turns  round 
a  perpendicular  pivot  in  a  circular  grove  or 
trough,  pretty  deep,  in  which  the  woad  is 
ground. 

The  leaves  thus  mashed  and  reduced  to  a 
paste,  are  kept  up  in  the  galleries  of  the  mill, 
or  in  the  open  air.  After  pressing  the  paste 
well  with  the  hands  and  feet,  it  is  beat  down 
and  made  smooth  with  a  shovel.  This  is  cal- 
led the  woad  piled. 

An  outward  crust  form-s,  which  becomes 
bhclcish;  when  it  cracks,  great  care  must  be 
taken  to  close  it  again.  Little  worms  will 
generate  in  these  crevices  and  spoil  it.  The 
pile  is  opened  in  a  fortnight,  well  worked  be- 
tween the  hands,  and  the  crust  well  mixed  with 
the  inside  5  sometimes  this  crust  requires  to  be 
beat  with  a  mallet  to  knead  it  v/ith  the  rest. 

This  paste  is  then  made  into  small  loaves  or 
round  balls,  which  according  to  the  regula- 


100 


tions,  must  weigh  a  pound  and  a  quarter. 
Tiiese  bails  are  vvtU  pressed  in  the  making, 
and  are  then  given  to  another,  who  kneads  them 
again  in  a  wooden  dish,  lengthens  them  at 
both  ends,  making  them  oval  and  smooth. 
Lastly,  they  are  given  to  a  third,  who  finishes 
them  in  a  Itsser  bowl  dish,  by  pressing  and 
perfectly  uniting  them. 

The  pastel  or  woad  thus  prepared  is  called 
Pastel  cn  Cccatgne  \  whence  arises  the  proverb, 
Pais  de  Cocaigne  \  which  signifies  a  rich  coun- 
try, because  this  country^  where  the  woad 
grows,  enriched  itself  formerly  by  the  com- 
merce of  this  drug. 

These  balls  -j-  are  spread  on  hurdles,  and 
exposed  to  the  sun  in  fine  weather ;  in  bad 
weather  they  are  put  at  the  top  of  the  mill. 
The  woad  that  has  been  exposed  some  hours 
to  the  sun,  becomes  black  on  the  outside, 
whereas  that  which  has  been  kept  within  doors 
is  generally  yellowish,  particularly  if  the  wea- 
ther has  been  rainy.  The  merchants  prefer 
the  forager  ;  this  makes  little  difference  as  to 
its  use;  it  is  in  general  always  yellowish,  as  the 
peasants  mosrly  Vv'ork  it  in  rainy  weather  when 
they  cannot  attend  their  rural  employments. 

In  summer,  these  balls  are  commonly  dry  in 
fifteen  or  twenty  days,  whereas  in  autumn  those 
of  the  last  crop  are  long  in  drying. 

*  V  Ahigeois  ^  Lauragois* 

f  There  is  a  plice  in  India  ,  the  name  I  do  not  recollect, 
where  the  anil  is  prepared  after  the  manner  ot  the  woad,  and 
the  indigo  come&  from  it  in  lumps,  containing  all  the  ll^eless 
parts  of  this  plant.  It  is  very  difficult  to  prepare  a  blue  vat 
with  it. 


iOI 


The  good  balls  when  broke  are  of  a  violet 
colour  within,  and  have  an  agreeable  smell ; 
whereas  those  that  are  of  an  earthy  colour  and 
a  bad  smell,  are  not  good  y  this  proceeds  from 
the  gathering  of  the  woad  during  the  rain, 
when  the  leaves  were  filled  with  earth.  Their 
goodness  is  also  known  by  their  weight,  being 
light  when  they  have  taken  too  much  air,  or 
rotten  by  not  having  been  sufficiently  pressed. 

Pozvder  of  Woad.^ 

Of  these  balls  well  prepared,  the  powder  of 
woad  is  to  be  made;  for  this  purpose  a  hun- 
dred thousand  at  K^ast  are  required.  A  distant 
barn  or  a  warehouse  must  be  procured,  larger 
or  smaller  according  to  the  quantity  intended 
to  be  made.  In  must  be  paved  with  bricks 
and  lined  with  the  same,  to  the  height  of  four 
or  five  feet  \  the  walls  would  be  better  to  be  of 
stone  to  that  height,  yet  often  the  walls  are  on- 
ly coated  with  earth  ;  this  coat  breaking  off  and 
mixing  with  the  woad  is  a  great  prejudice  to  it. 
In  this  place  the  balls  are  reduced  to  a  gross 
powder  with  large  wooden  mallets.  This  pow- 
der is  heaped  up  to  the  height  of  four  feet,  re- 
serving a  space  to  go  round,  and  is  moistened 
with  water;  that  which  is  slimy*  is  best  provi- 

•  I  can  see  no  reason  why  slimy  water,  and  yet  to  be  ciear,- 
js  preferred.  It  appears  to  me  that  clear  river  water  would  be 
mv>re  .^ccure  ;  with  this  they  would  avoid  ilie  inconveniences 
tha.  ntiust  attend  a  standing  water,  always  filled  with  filth  ; 
or  oF  a  muddy  water,  which  contains  ilseless  earth,  and  which 
must  mal^e  the  die  uneven* 

I  a 


102 


cicd  it  be  clear;  the  woad  thus  moistened,  fer- 
menrs,  heats,  and  ennics  a  very  thick  stinking 
vapour. 

It  is  stirred  every  day  for  twelve  days,  fling- 
ing it  by  shovels  full  from  one  side  to  the  other, 
and  moistening  it  every  day  during  that  time; 
after  which  no  more  water  is  flung  on,  but  on- 
ly stirred  every  second  day;  th.en  every  third, 
fourth,  and  fifth  ;  it  is  then  heaped  up  in  the 
middle  of  the  place,  and  looked  at  from  time 
to  time  to  air  it  in  case  it  should  heat.  This 
is  the  pastel  or  garden  woad  powder  fit  for  sale 
to  the  Diers. 

Mr.  Astruc,  to  prove  that  the  sale  of  woad 
formerly  enriched  the  higher  Languedoc, 
quotes  the  following  passage  from  a  book  en- 
titled Le.  Marc  hand. 

Formerly  they  transported  from  Toulouze 
to  Bourdeaux,  by  the  river  Garonne,  each 
year  a  hundred  thousand  bales  of  woad,  which 
on  the  spot  are  worth  at  least  fifteen  livres  a 
bale,  which  amounts  to  i,  500,  coo  livres  ; 
from  whence  proceeded  the  abundance  of  mo- 
ney and  riches  of  that  country."  Castel  in  his 
Alemoirs  de  r  Eistoire  du  Languedocy  in  1633, 
p.  49- 

The  comparing  of  these  tvv^o  methods  of 
preparing  the  woad  and  indigo  may  be  suffi- 
cient to  a  person  of  understanding,  who  might 
be  appointed  to  try,  by  experiments,  the  pos- 
sibility of  extracting  a  fecula  from  the  isatis  of 
Languedoc  like  that  of  the  anil.  It  is  neither 
the  Dier  or  Manufacturer  that  ought  be  appli- 


ed  to  for  that  purpose;  both  would  condemn 
the  project  as  a  novelty,  and  it  would  require 
many  experiments,  which  in  general  they  are 
not  accustomed  to. 

1  could  wish  this  experiment  was  tried  in 
great,  fo  that  at  least  fifry  pound  of  this  fecula 
might  be  got,  that  several  vats  might  be  set 
in  case  the  first  should  fail.  Whosoever  does 
try  it,  should  be  very  careful  to  describe  all 
the  circumstances  of  the  process.  Perhaps  it 
might  not  succeed  at  the  fii  St  crop  of  the  leaves 
of  the  woad,  because  the  heat  in  June  is  not 
sufficient,  but  probably  he  might  meet  with 
success  in  August. 

If  this  succeeds,  there  are  w^ithout  doubt 
several  other  plants  of  the  same  quality  as  the 
isatis,  and  which  yields  a  like  fecula. 

It  is  also  probable  that  the  dark  green  of  se- 
veral plants  is  composed  of  yellow  and  blue 
parts  ;  if  by  fermentation  the  yellow  could  be 
destroyed  the  blue  would  remain.  This  is  not 
a  chimerical  idea,  and  it  is  easy  to  prove  tha2 
some  use  might  be  derived  from  such  m  eji- 
periment. 


104 


CHAPTER  VIIL 


OF  RED. 

RED,  as  has  been  said,  is  one  of  the  pri- 
mary or  mother  colours  of  the  diers.  In 
the  great  die  there  are  four  principal  reds, 
which  are  the  basis  of  the  rest.    These  are. 

I.  Scarlet  of  grain.    2.  The  scarlet,  now 
in  use,  or  flame-colouied  scarlet,  formerly  cal- 
led Dutch  scarlet.  3.  The  crimson  red.  And, 
4.  The  madder  red. 

There  are  also  the  bastard  scarlet  and  the 
bastard  crimson;  but  as  these  are  only  mix-^ 
jures  of  the  principal  reds,  they  ought  not  to 
be  considered  as  particular  colours. 

The  red,  or  nacaret  of  hurre^y  was  for- 
merly permitted  in  the  great  die. 

All  these  different  reds  have  their  particu- 
lar shades  from  the  deepest  to  the  lightest,  but 
they  form  separate  classes,  as  the  shades  of  the 
one  never  fall  into  those  of  the  other. 

The  reds  are  worked  in  a  different  manner 
from  the  blues,  the  woc^  or  stuffs  not  being 
immediately  dipped  in  the  die,  but  previously 

•  This  colour  Is  given  with  weld  and  goat's  hair  boiled  In 
pot-ashes,  and  is  a  bright  orange  red. 


colour,  but  prepartfs  them  to  rc^ceivc  that  of 
the  colouring  ingredient. 

This  is  called  the  water  of  preparation  ;  it 
is  coimmonly  made  with  acids,  such  as  sour 
waters,  alum  and  tartar,  aqua  fortis,  aqua  re- 
gaiis,  Sec.  These  preparuig  ingredients  are 
used  in  different  quantities,  according  to  the 
colour  and  shade  required.  Galls  arc  also  of- 
ten used,  and  somenmes  alkaline  salts.  This 
I  shall  explain  in  the  course  of  this  treatise, 
when  I  come  to  the  method  of  working  each 
or  these  colours. 


OF  SCARLET  OF  GRAIN. 

iHIS  colour  is  called  scarlet  of  grain,  be 


cause  it  is  made  with  the  kermes,  which 
was  long  thought  to  be  the  grain  of  the  tree 
on  which  it  is  found.  It  was  formerly  called 
French  scarlet,  imagining  it  to  be  first  found 
out  in  France,  and  is  now  known  by  the  name 
of  Venetian  scarlet,  being  much  in  use  there, 
and  miore  made  than  in  any  other  phice.  The 
fashion  passed  from  thence  into  France  and 
other  countries.  It  has  indeed  less  lustre,  and 
is  browner  than  the  scarlet  now  in  fashion  ;  but 
it  has  the  advantage  of  keeping  its  brightness 
longer,  and  does  not  spot  by  mud  or  acid  li- 
quors. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


ic6 

The  kermes  is  a  gall  insect,  which  is  bred, 
lives,  and  multiplies  upon  the  ilex  accukato 
cocci  glandiscra^  C.  B.  P.  Some  comes  from 
Narbonne,  but  greater  quantities  from  Alicant 
and  Valentia,  and  the  peasants  of  Languedoc 
yearly  bring  it  to  Montpelier  and  Narbonne. 
The  merchants  who  buy  them  to  send  abroad, 
spread  them  on  cloths,  and  sprinkle  them  wiuh 
vinegar,  in  order  to  kill  the  little  insects  that 
are  within,  which  yield  a  red  powder,  which 
is  separated  from  the  shell  after  drying,  and  is 
then  passed  through  a  sieve  ^  this  is  done  par- 
ticularly in  Spain. 

They  then  make  it  up  in  bales,  and  in  the 
middle  of  each  a  quantity  of  this  powder  is  in- 
closed in  a  leather  bag,  in  proportion  to  the 
whole  bale.  Thus  each  dier  has  his  due  pro- 
portion of  this  powder.  These  bales  are  ge- 
nerally sent  to  Marseilles,  from  whence  they 
are  exported  to  the  Levant,  Algiers,  and  1  u- 
nis,  where  it  is  greatly  made  use  of  in  dic- 
ing. 

The  red  draperies  of  the  figures  in  the  an- 
cient tapestry  of  Brussels,  and  other  manufac- 
tories of  Flanders,  are  died  with  this  ingre- 
dient; and  some  that  have  been  wrought  up- 
wards of  two  hundred  years,  have  scarcely  lost 
any  thing  of  :he  brightness  of  rhe  colour.  I 
shall  now  proceed  to  give  the  method  of 
making  this  scarlet  of  grain,  which  is  now 
seldom  used  but  for  wools  designed  for  ta- 
pestry. 


10/ 


Preparation  of  the  Wool  for  Scarlet  of  Grain. 

Twenty  pounds  of  wool  and  half  a  bushel 
of  bran  are  put  into  a  copper,  with  a  sufficient 
quantity  of  water,  and  suffered  to  boil  hiJf  an 
hour,  stirring  it  every  now  and  then  ;  it  is  then 
taken  out  to  drain. 

It  is  necessary  to  observe,  that  whenever 
spun  wool  is  to  be  died^  a  stick  is  passed 
through  each  hank  (which  commonly  weighs 
one  pound)  and  they  remain  on  the  stick  du- 
ring the  course  of  the  work  to  prevent  their 
entangling.  This  stick  also  enables  the  dier  to 
return  the  hanks  with  more  ease,  by  plunging 
each  part  successively  in  the  liquor,  by  which 
they  take  an  equal  die ;  by  raising  the  hank 
with  a  stick,  and  drawing  it  half  way  out  of 
the  copper,  seizing  the  other  end  of  the  hank 
with  the  othrr  hand,  it  is  plunged  towards  the 
bottOiH.  If  the  vv^ool  be  too  hot,  this  may  be 
done  vyith  two  sticks,  and  the  ofiencr  this  is 
repeated,  the  more  even  will  be  the  die  j  the 
ends  of  the  sncks  are  then  placed  on  two  poles 
to  drain.  Th^-se  poles  are  fixed  in  the  wall 
above  the  copper. 

Liquor  for  the  Kermes^ 

While  this  prepared  wool  is  draining,  the 
copper  is  empeied,  and  fresh  water  puc  in,  co 
which  is  added  about;  a  fift:;  of  n\n  watet^ 
four  pounds  of  Roman  alum  grossly  powder- 


io8 


ed,  and  two  pounds  of  red  tartar.  The  whole 
h  brought  to  boil,  and  that  instant  the  hanks 
are  dipped  in  (on  the  sticks)  which  are  to  re- 
main in  for  two  hours,  stirring  them  continu- 
ally one  after  the  other  after  the  method  already 
laid  down. 

I  muse  in  this  place  observe,  that  the  liquor 
in  which  the  alum  is  put,  when  on  the  point  of 
boiling  sometimes  rises  s^  suddenly  that  it 
comes  over  the  copper,  if  not  prevented  by 
adding  cold  water.  If,  when  it  is  rising,  the 
spun  wool  is  instantly  put  in,  it  stops  it,  and 
produces  the  same  effects  as  cold  water. 

The  liquor  does  not  rise  so  suddenly  when 
there  is  a  large  quantity  of  tartar,  as  in  the 
process  ;  but  when  the  alum  is  used  alone, 
someti;nes  above  half  the  liquor  comes  over 
the  copper  when  it  begins  to  boil,  if  not  pre- 
vented by  the  method  described. 

When  the  wool  has  boiled  two  hours  in  this 
liquor,  it  is  taken  out,  left  to  drain,  gently 
squeezed,  and  put  into  a  linen  bag  in  a  cool 
place  for  five  or  six  days,  and  sometimes  longer  ^ 
this  is  called  f:.aving  the  wool  in  preparation. 
This  is  to  make  ic  penetrate  the  better,  and 
helps  to  augment  the  action  of  the  salts,  ^or  as 
apart  of  the  liquor  always  fiies  off,  it  is  evi- 
dent that  the  reaiaining,  being  fuller  of  saline 
particles,  becomes  niore  active,  provided  th^re 
remained  a  surTicient  qu-incity  of  humidity  ^  for 
the  salts  bring  crysiaiized  and  dry,  would  have 
no  more  aciion. 


109  ' 

I  have  dwelled  much  longer  on  this  pre- 
paring liquor,  and  the  method  of  making  it, 
than  I  shall  in  the  sequel,  as  there  are  a  great 
number  of  colours  for  which  it  is  prepared 
pretty  near  in  the  same  proportion,  so  that 
when  this  happens,  I  shall  slightly  describe  it, 
mentioning  only  the  changes  that  are  to  be 
made  in  the  qL>antity  of  alum,  tartar,  sour 
water,  or  other  ingredients. 

After  the  spun  wool  has  been  covered  five 
or  six  days,  it  is  fitted  to  receive  the  die.  A 
fresh  liquor  is  then  prepared  according  to  the 
quantity  of  wool  to  be  died,  and  when  it  be- 
gins to  be  lukewarm,  take  12  ounces  of  pow- 
dered kermfs  for  each  pound  of  wool  to  be 
died,  if  a  rull  and  well-coloured  scarlet  is 
wanted.  If  the  kermes  was  old  and  flat,  a 
pound  of  it  would  be  required  to  each  pound 
of  wool.  When  the  liquor  begins  to  boil,  the 
yarn  (still  moist,  which  it  will  be  if  it  has 
bet-n  well  wrapped  in  the  bag,  and  kept  in  a 
cool  place)  is  put  in.  If  it  had  been  boiled  a 
long  time  before,  and  grown  dry,  it  musi  be 
lightly  passed  through  lukewarm  water,  and 
well  squeezed  before  it  is  died. 

Previous  to  its  being  dipped  in  the  copper 
with  the  kennes,  a  harrdful  of  wool  is  cast  in, 
which  is  let  to  boil  for  a  minute:  this  takcb  up 
a  kind  of  black  scum,  which  the  kermes  cast 
up,  by  which  the  wool  that  is  afterwards  dip- 
ped acquires  a  finer  colour.  This  handfui  of 
wool  being  taken  out,  the  prepared  is  to  ba 
put  in.    The  hanks  are  passed  on  sticks  as  ia 

K 


no 


the  preparation,  continually  stirring,  and  air- 
ing them  one  after  the  other.  It  must  boil 
after  this  manner  an  hour  at  least,  then  taken 
out  and  placed  on  the  poles  to  drain,  after- 
wards wrung  and  washed. 

The  die  still  remaining  in  the  liquor,  may 
serve  to  dip  a  little  fresh  parcel  of  prepared 
wool ;  it  will  take  some  colour  in  proportion 
to  the  goodness  and  quality  of  the  kermes  put 
into  the  copper^ 

When  different  shades  are  wanted,  a  less 
quantity  of  kermes  is  used,  so  that  for  twenty 
pounds  of  prepared  wool  seven  or  eight  are 
sufficient. 

The  quantity  of  wool  that  is  to  have  the 
lightest  shade  is  first  to  be  dipped,  and  to  re- 
main no  longer  in  than  the  tim.e  sufficient  to 
turn  it  and  make  it  take  the  die  equally.  Then 
the  next  deepest  shade  intended  is  dipped,  and 
left  to  remain  some  time  longer;  after  this 
manner  the  work  is  continued  to  the  laso  which 
is  left  as  long  as  requisite  to  acquire  the  neces- 
sary shade. 

The  reason  of  working  the  lightest  shades 
first,  is,  that  if  the  yarn  is  left  too  long  in,  no 
damage  is  done,  as  that  hank  may  serve  for  a 
deeper  shade;  whereas,  if  they  begin  by  a 
deeper,  there  would  be  no  remedy  if  a  failure 
happened  in  some  of  the  lighter  shades.  M  he 
same  caution  is  to  be  taken  in  all  colours 
whose  shades  are  to  be  different. 

There  are  seldom  more  shades  than  one  from 
the  colour  now  spoken  of ;  but  as  the  working 


Ill 


part  is.  the  same  for  all  colours,  what  has  been 
said  on  this  subject  will  serve  for  the  rest* 

The  yarn  thus  died,  before  bringing  it  to 
the  river,  may  be  passed  through  lukewarm 
water,  in  which  a  small  quantity  of  soap  has 
been  perfectly  dissolved ;  this  gives  a  bright- 
ness to  the  colour,  but  at  the  same  time  sad- 
dens it  a  little,  that  is,  gives  it  a  little  cast  of 
the  crimson.  As  I  shall  often  make  use  of 
the  terms  rouzing  and  saddeningy  especially  in 
the  acids,  it  is  necessary  to  explain  their 
meaning. 

"^Saddening,  is  giving;  a  crimson  or  violet  cast 
to  red ;  soap  and  alkaline  salts,  such  as  ley  of 
ashes,  pot»ashes,  lime,  sadden  reds;  thus  they 
serve  to  bring  them  to  the  shade  required 
when  too  bright,  and  that  they  are  too  much 
rouzed, 

Rouzingy  is  doing  quite  the  reverse;  it  is 
giving  a  fire  to  the  red,  by  making  it  border 
on  the  yellow  or  orange.  This  is  performed  on 
wool  by  the  means  of  acids,  as  red  or  white 
tartar,  cream  of  tartar,  vinegar,  lemon  juice, 
and  aqua  fortis.  These  acids  are  added  more 
or  less,  according  to  the  depth  of  the  orange 
colour  required.  For  example,  if  the  scarlet 
of  grain  was  wanted  to  be  more  bright,  and 
approach  somewhat  nearer  to  common  scarlet, 
a  little  of  the  scarlet  composition,  which  shall 
be  spoken  of,  must  be  poured  into  the  liquor 
after  the  kermes  is  put  in,  and  the  brown  co- 
lour of  that  liquor  would  immediately  be  bright- 
ened by  the  acid,  and  bedbme  of  a  brighter 


I  12 


r^d;  the  wool  dipped  in  would  be  more  liable 
to  be  spotted  by  mud  and  acid  liquors  :  the 
reason  will  appear  in  the  next  chapter. 

I  have  made  various  experiments  on  this  co- 
Jour,  in  order  to  make  it  fitter  and  brighter 
than  what  it  generally  is,  but  I  never  could  ex- 
tract a  red  that  was  to  be  compared  to  that  of 
cochineal. 

Of  all  the  liquors  which  I  made  for  the  pre- 
paration of  the  wool,  that  which  was  made 
with  the  preparations  just  mentioned  succeed- 
ed best.  By  changing  the  natural  die  of  the 
kermes,  by  different  kinds  of  ingredients  of 
metallic  solutions,  &c.  various  colours  are 
miade,  which  I  shall  immediately  speak  of. 

I  shall  say  but  liitle  about  dieing  stuffs  with 
this  red,  as  the  proportion  cannot  be  prescribed 
for  each  yard  of  stuff,  on  account  of  their 
breadth  and  thickness,  or  the  quantity  of  wool 
entering  their  composition  ;  practice  alone  will 
reach  the  necessary  quantity  for  each  sort  of 
stuff;  however,  not  to  work  in  the  dark,  or  to 
try  experiments  at  random,  the  surest  way  will 
be  to  weif^h  the  stuffs,  and  to  diminish  about 
one-fourth  part  of  the  colouring  ingredients 
laid  down  for  spnn  wool,  as  stuffs  take  up  less 
colour  inwardly,  their  texture  being  more  com- 
pact, prevents  ics  penetration,  whereas  yarn  or 
wool  in  the  fleece  receives  it  equally  within 
and  without- 

The  alum  and  tartar  for  the  liquor  of  prepa- 
ration for  the  stuffs  must  be  diminished  in  the 
same  proportion,  Und  they  are  not  to  remain 


^^3 

in  the  preparing  liquor  as  long  as  the  wool. 
It  may  be  died  the  next  day  after  boiling. 

If  wool  in  the  fleece  is  died  with  the  red  of 
the  kermes,  either  to  incorporate  it  with  cloths 
of  a  mixed  colour,  or  to  make  full  cloths,  \t 
will  have  a  much  finer  effect  than  if  the  wool 
had  been  died  in  the  red  of  madder.  I  shall 
mention  this  in  describing  the  compound  co- 
lours in  which  the  kermes  is  used,  or  ought  at 
lease  to  be  used  in  preference  to  madder, 
which  does  not  give  so  fine  a  red,  but,  being 
cheaper,  is  commonly  substituted  for  it. 

Half  grain  scarier,  or  bastard  scarlet,  is 
that  which  is  made. of  equal  parts  of  kermes 
and  mad  ler.  This  mixture  affords  a  very 
holding  colour,  not  bright,  but  inclining  to  a 
blood  red.  It  is  prepared  and  worked  in  the 
sa  ne  manner  as  that  made  of  kermes  alone« 
This  die  is  much  cheaper,  and  the  diers  com- 
monly make  it  less  perfect  by  diminishing  the 
kermes  and  augmenting  the  madder. 

By  the  proofs  that  have  been  made  of  scar- 
kt  of  grain  or  kermes,  whether  by  exposing  it 
to  the  sun,  or  by  different  proofs,  it  is  certain 
there  is  not  a  more  holding  or  a  better  colour; 
yet  the  kermes  is  no  where  in  use  but  at  Venice. 
The  mode  of  this  colour  has  been  entirely  out 
since  the  making  of  flame-coloured  scarlets. 
This  scarlet  of  ^rain  is  now  called  a  colour  of 
bullock's  blood  :  nevertheless,  it  has  great  ad- 
vaniages  over  the  other,. for  it  neither  blackens 
nor  spots,  and  grease  may  be  taken  out  with- 
out prejudice  to  its  colour j  but  it  is  out  of 

K  a 


114 

fashion  and  that  is  sufficient.  This  has  entire- 
ly put  a  stop  CO  the  consumption  of  kermes  in 
France.  Scarce  a  Dier  knows  it,  and  when 
Monsieur  Colbert  wanted  a  certain  quantity 
for  the  expennaents  above  related,  he  was 
obliged  to  send  for  it  to  Languedoc,  the  mer- 
chants of  Paris  keeping  only  a  sufficiency  for 
medicinal  purposes. 

When  a  Djer  is  obliged  to  die  a  piece  of 
cloth,  known  yet  under  the  name  of  scarlet  of 
grain,  as  he  has  neither  the  knowledge  of  the 
kermes,  nor  the  custom  of  using  it,  he  makes  it 
of  a  cochineal,  as  I  shall  relate  in  the  following 
chapter;  it  comes  dearer,  and  is  less  holding 
than  that  made  of  the  kermes.  The  same  is 
done  in  regard  to  spun  wool  designed  for  ta- 
pestries, and  as  this  shade  is  pretty  difficult  to 
hit  With  cochineal,  they  commonly  mix  brazil 
wood,  which  hitherto  has  been  a  false  ingre- 
dient, permitted  only  in  the  lesser  die.  For 
this  reason  all  these  kind  of  reds  fade  in  a  very 
sliort  time,  and  though  they  are  much  brighter 
than  required,  Gom;ing  out  of  the  hands  of  the 
v/orkman,  they  lose  all  their  brightness  before 
the  expiration  of  a  yeai;:  they  whiten  or  become 
exceeding  grey  ;  it  is  therefore  to  be  wished 
that  the  use  of  kermes  was  again  established. 

It  is  also  certain,  that  if  some  Dier  set  about 
using  it,  there  are  several  colours  that  might 
be  extracted  from  it  with  more  ease  and  less  ex- 
pence  than  the  common  method;  for  these  co- 
lours would  be  better  and  more  holding,  and  he 
would  thereby  acquire  a  greater  reputation.  I 


^'5 

have  made  above  fifty  experiments  with  the 
kermcs,  from  which  some  use  in  practice  may 
arise;  I  shall  only  relate  such  as  have  produ- 
ced the  most  singular  colours. 

By  mixing  the  kermcs  v/ith  cream  of  tartar, 
without  alum,  and  as  much  of  the  composition 
as  vvoulci  be  usfd  for  the  makiiig  of  scarlet 
with  cochineal,  you  iiave  in  one  l;quor  an  ex- 
ceeding bright  cinnamon,  for  nothing  but  the 
acid  entering  in  the  mixture,  the  red  parts  of 
the  kermes  become  so  minute  that  tht  y  almost 
escape  the  sight.  But  if  this  cinnamon  colour 
be  passed  through  a  liquor  of  Roman  alum, 
part  of  this  red  appears  again  ;  whether  it  be 
by  the  addition  of  the  alum  that  drives  out  a 
part  of  the  acid  of  the  composition,  or  the 
earth  of  the  alum  precipitated  by  the  ascricrion 
of  the  kermes,  which  has  the  effect  of  galls,  I 
know  not  j  but  this  red  thus  restored  is  not 
fine. 

With  cream  of  tartar  (the  composition  for 
scarlet)  and  alum,  in  greater  quantity  than 
tartar,  the  kermes  gives  a  lilae  colour,  which 
varies  according  as  the  proportion  of  ingre- 
dients are  changed. 

If  in  the  place  of  alum  and  tartar,  ready 
prepared  tartar  of  vitriol  is  substituted,  which 
is  a  very  hard  salt,  resulting  from  the  mixture 
of  the  vitriolic  acid  and  a  fixed  alkali,  such  as 
the  oil  of  tartar,  pot  ashes,  &c.  and  if,  1  say,^ 
after  boiling  the  kermes  in  a  solution  of  a  small 
quantity  of  this  salt,  the  stuff  be  dipped  in  a.id 
boiled  one  hour,  it  acquires  a  tolerable  hand- 


1  iO 

some  ngath  grey,  and  in  which  very  lictie  red 
is  seen,  for  the  acid  of  the  conf^«posicion  ijaving 
too  much  divided  the  red  of  the  kenr.es,  and 
tlie  tartar  of  vitriol,  not  containing  the  earth  of 
the  alum,  it  could  not  re  unite  these  red  atoms, 
dispersed  by  precipitation.  These  agath  greys 
are  of  the  good  die,  for,  as  I  have  observed  in 
the  cliaptt  r  treating  of  indigo,  the  tartar  of  vi- 
triol is  a  hard  salt,  which  is  not  calcined  by 
the  sun,  and  is  indissoluble  in  rain  water. 

Glauber  sales  mixed  with  the  kermes  entirely 
destroy  its  red,  and  give  an  earthy  grey  that 
does  not  stand  the  proof,  for  this  salt  neither 
resists  cold  water  nor  the  rays  of  the  sun,  which 
reduce  it  into  powder.  Vitriol  or  green  cop- 
peras,  and  blue  vitriol  separated  substituted 
for  alum,  but  joined  to  the  crystal  of  tartar, 
equally  destroy  or  veil  the  red  of  the  kermes, 
which  in  these  two  experiments  produce  the 
same  effect  as  if  galls  or  sumach  had  been 
made  use  of ;  for  it  precipitates  the  iron  of  the 
green  vitriol,  and  dies  the  cloth  of  a  grey  brown^ 
and  the  copper  of  the  blue  vitriol  dies  it  of  an 
olive. 

Instead  of  blue  vitriol,  I  used  a  solution  of 
copper'''^  in  aqua  fortis,  which  also  produced  an 
olive  colour;  a  convincing  proof  that  the  ker- 
mes has  the  precipitating  quality  of  the  galls, 
since  it  precipitates  the  copper  of  the  vitriol  as 
a  decoction  of  gall-nut  would. 

There  is  great  probability  that  what  renders 
the  red  of  the  kermes  as  holding  as  that  of 

*  Veid  gnse. 


117 


madder,  is  from  the  insects  feeding  on  an  as- 
tringent shrub,  which,  notwithstanding  the 
changes  made  by  the  digestion  of  the  juices  of 
the  plant,  still  retains  the  astringent  quality  of 
the  vegetable,  and  consequently  the  virtue, 
and  so  gives  a  greater  spring  to  the  pores  of  the 
wool  to  contract  themselves  quicker  and  with 
greater  strength,  when  it  comes  out  of  the 
boiling  vvater,  and  is  exposed  to  the  cold  air; 
for  I  have  observed  that  all  barks,  roots,  wood, 
fruits,  and  other  matters  that  iiave  some  astric- 
tion,  yield  colours  of  the  good  die. 

Violets  without  Blue. 

The  white  vitriol  of  goslar,  whose 4)asis  is 
the  zinck,  being  joined  with  the  crystal  of  tar- 
tar, changes  the  red  of  the  kermes  into  violet. 
Thus  with  one  colouring  ingredient,  and  sim- 
ple changes,  violets  are  made  without  a  blue 
ground  ;  for  this  compound  colour,  hitherto 
only  obtained  by  putrmg  a  blue  on  a  red,  or  a 
red  on  a  blue,  is  made  as  well  with  cochineal, 
or  even  with  madder,  as  shall  be  shown  treat- 
ing of  these  two  ingredients.  White  vitriol 
being  extracted  from  a  mine,  containing  lead, 
arsenic,  and  several  other  matters,  whose  re- 
crcfTients  melted  afterwards  with  sand  and  alka- 
line sdl  s,  vitrifies  into  a  blue  mass,  caiied 
safre,  I  suspected  the  white  vitriol  might  con- 
tain a  portion  of  this  blue,  which,  with  the 
red  of  the  kermes,  might  liave  changed  to  a 
violet  and  consequently  that  the  mine  of  the 


ii8 


bismuth,  which  really  contains  this  blue  mat- 
ter, and  the  bismuth  itself  would  produce  the 
same  effect  as  white  vitriol ;  neither  was  I  mis- 
taken in  my  conjecture  ^  for  having  put  some 
of  the  extract  of  the  mine  of  bismuth  in  the  li- 
quor of  kermes,  and  some  of  the  solution  of 
the  bismuth  itself  upon  another  decoction  of 
the  same  ingredient,  they  both  died  cloth  of  a 
violet  colour.  I  shall  not  here  give  the  pro- 
cess of  extracting  the  mine  of  bismuth,  for  it 
is  a  difficult  op'Tacion  for  a  dier.  However, 
if  the  reader  is  desirous  to  know  what  1  mean 
by  the  extraction  of  the  mine  of  bismuth,  he 
will  find  the  process  in  the  Royal  i\cademy  of 
Sciences  for  the  year  1737,  where  there  is  a 
memoir  on  sympathetic  inks.  As  to  the  solu- 
tion of  bismuth,  which  produces  almost  the 
same  effect,  it  is  made  after  the  following 
manner  : 

Take  four  parts  of  spirits  of  nitre,  and 
four  parts  of  very  clear  water,  which  mix  to- 
gether, and  dissolve  therein  one  part  of  bis- 
muth, or  tin  glass,  broken  in  small  pieces, 
put  the  last  littk  by  little  into  the  liquor,  lest 
they  should  occasion  too  violent  a  fermenta- 
tion. Acids  put  in  too  great  abundance  in  the 
liquor  of  the  kermes,  whether  it  be  spirits  of 
Vitriol,  aqua  fortis,  vinegar,  lemon  juice,  even 
sour  water,  so  greatly  divide  the  red  colouring 
particles,  that  trie  cioch  receives  but  a  cinna- 
mon colour,  bordering  on  the  aurora,  if  there 
is  too  much  acid,  and  a  little  redder  if  there  is 
less. 


119 


Fixed  alkaline  salts,  mixed  with  sour  water 
and  cream  of  tarc;irj  in  the  place  of  alum,  do 
not  .destroy  the  red  of  the  kermes  as  acids  do, 
but  saddens  and  muds  it  if  too  much  be  put  in, 
so  that  the  cloth  receives  only  a  faded  lilac 
colour. 

Other  experiments,  still  more  diversified  than 
those  here  related,  presented  an  infinite  variety 
of  colours,  but  nothing  more  beautiful  than 
what  may  be  done  with  cheaper  drugs  than  the 
kermes  ;  1  shall  therefore  pass  them  over. 


CHAPTER  X. 


OF  FLAME-COLOURED  SCARLET. 


FLAME-coloured  scarlet,  that  is,  bright- 
coloured  scarlet,  known  foraierly  under 
the  name  of  Dutch  sc  'i  ler,  (the  discovery  of 
which  Kufikel  at-ribuc^-s  to  Kuster,  a  German 
chymrst)  is  the  finest  and  brightest  colour  of 
the  die.  It  is  also  the  most  costly,  and  one  of 
the  hardest  to  bring  to  perfection.  It  is  not 
easy  to  determine  the  point  of  perfection,  for, 
in  dependent  of  different  tastes  concerning  the 
choice  of  colours,  there  are  also  general  fancies, 
which  make  certain  colours  more  in  fashion  at 
one  time  than  another;  when  this  happens, 
fashionable  colours  become  perfect  ones.  For- 


]  20 


merly  scarlets  were  chosen  full,  deep,  and  of 
a  degree  of  brightness  which  the  sight  easily 
bore.  At  this  time  they  must  be  on  the 
orange,  full  of  fire,  and  of  a  brightness  which 
dazzles  the  eye.  I  shall  not  decide  which  of 
these  two  fashions  deserve  the  preference,  but 
shall  give  the  method  of  making  them  both, 
and  all  the  shades  which  hold  a  medium  be« 
tween  these  extremes. 

Cochineal,  which  yields  this  beautiful  co- 
lour, and  is  also  called  mesrick,  or  tescalle,  is 
an  insect  that  is  gathered  in  great  quantities  in 
Mexico.  The  natives  and  Spaniards,  who 
have  but  s mil  est  iblishments  there,  cultivate 
them,  that  is,  carefully  gather  them  from  the 
plant  on  which  they  feed  before  the  rainy  sea- 
son. They  kill  and  dry  those  designed  for 
salr,  and  preserve  the  rest  to  multiply  when 
the  bad  season  is  over.  This  insect  feeds  and 
breeds  upon  a  kind  of  prickly  opuntia,  which 
they  call  topal.  It  may  be  preserved  in  a  dry 
place  for  ages  without  spoiling. 
,  The  cochineal  sylvcnre,  or  campessiane,  is 
also  brought  from  Vera-Cruz.  The  Indians 
of  Old  and  New  M^^xico  giither  this  kind  in 
the  wo  )d^ ;  it  feeds,  grows,  and  generates 
there  on  the  wild  uncultivated  opuntias ;  it  is 
there  exposed  in  the  rainy  season  to  all  the  hu- 
midity of  the  air,  and  dies  naturally.  This 
cochineal  is  always  smaller  than  the  fine  or  cul- 
tivated J  the  colour  is  more  holding  and  herrer, 
but  has  not  the  same  brightness,  nrit^ier  is  it 
profitable  to  use  it,  since  it  requires  four  parts. 


121 


and  sometimes  more,  to  do  what  may  be  done 
with  one  of  fine. 

Sometimes  they  have  damaged  cochineal  at- 
Cadiz  ;  this  is  fine  cochineal  that  has  been  wet- 
ted with  salt  water,  occasioned  by  some  ship- 
wr^fck  or  leakage.  These  accidents  consider 
ably  diminish  the  price,  the  sea  salt  saddening 
the  die.  This  kind  serves  only  to  make  pur- 
ples, and  even  those  are  not  the  best.  How- 
ever, a  person  in  1735  found  the  secret  to  tura 
this  to  ahnosr  as  much  advantage  for  scarlet  as 
the  finest  cochineal.  The  discovery  of  this 
secret  is  easy,  but  let  him  that  possesses  it  en- 
joy it,  I  shall  not  deprive  him  of  the  advantage 
he  might  have  in  it. 

Every  dier  has  a  particular  receipt  for  dieing 
scarlet,  and  each  is  fully  persuaded  that  his  owa 
is  preferable  to  all  others;  yet  the  success  de- 
pends on  the  choice  of  the  cochineal,  of  the 
water  used  in  the  die,  and  on  the  manner  of 
preparing  the  solution  of  tin,  which  the  diers 
call  composition  of  scarlet. 

As  it  is  this  composition  which  gives  the 
bright  flame  col'^>ur  to  the  cochineal  die,  and 
which  without  this  acid  liquor  would  naturally 
be  of  a  crimson  colour,  1  shall  describe  the 
preparation  that  succeeded  best  with  me. 

Composition  for  Scarlet. 

Take  eight  ounces  of  spirit  of  nitre,  (which 
Is  always  purer  than  the  common  aqua  forcis 

L 


122 


mostly  used  by  the  diers)  and*  be  certain  that 
it  contains  no  vitriolic  acid  ;  weaken  this  nitrous 
acid  by  putting  it  into  eight  ounces  of  filtered 
river  water  :  dissolve  in  it,  little  by  litde,  half 
an  ounce  of  very  white  salt  ammoniac,  to  make 
it  an  aqua  regia,  because  spirits  of  nitre  alone 
will  not  dissolve  block- tin.  Lastly,  add  two 
drachms  of  salt-petre;  this  might  be  omitted, 
bur  I  observed  that  it  was  of  use  in  making  the 
die  smooth  and  equal.  In  this  aqua  regia  thus 
weakened,  dissolve  one  ounce  of  the  best 
block-nn,  which  is  first  granulated  or  made 
small  while  melted  by  casting  it  from  a  height 
into  a  vessel  of  cold  water.  These  small  grains 
of  tin  are  put  into  the  dissolvent  one  by  one, 
letting  the  first  dissolve  before  putting  in 
others ;  this  prevents  the  loss  of  the  red  va- 
pours, which  would  rise  in  great  abundance, 
and  be  lost  if  the  dissolution  of  the  metal  was 
made  too  hastily  i  it  is  necessary  to  preserve 
these  vapours,  and,  as  Kunkel  observed,  they 

*  Dispclve  in  a  small  quantity  of  spirit  of  nitre  as  much  sil- 
ver as  It  wjil  take  ;  put  a  few  drops  of  this  into  some  of  the 
spirit  ot  nitre  that  is  to  be  proved  j  if  this  spirit  remains 
transparent,  it  is  pure;  but  it  a  white  cloud  be  perceived, 
which  will  afterwards  form  a  sediment,  it  is  a  sign  th  xt  there 
is  a  commixtuie  of  vitriol  or  spirit  of  salt.  In  order  therefore 
to  render  the  spirit  of  nitre  absolutely  pure,  drop  the  solution 
of  silver  gradually  into  it,  so  long  as  it  shall  pjoduce  the  least 
turbidness,  time  bemg  given  for  the  spirit  to  become  clenr  be- 
twixt each  addition.  The  spirit  of  nitre  being  then  poured 
off  from  the  sediment,  will  be  perfectly  pure  ;  and  if  this  se- 
diment, which  is  the  silver  precipitated,  be  evaporated  to  dry- 
ness, and  then  infused  in  a  crucible  with  a  small  quancj  y  of 
any  fixed  alkaline  salt,  it  will  be  reduced  to  its  proper  metal- 
line state. 


123 


greatly  contribute  towards  the  brightness  of 
the  colour,  eicher  because  these  vapours  are 
acids  that  evaporate  and  are  lost,  or  contain  a 
sulphur  peculiar  to  saltpetre,  which  gives  a 
brightness  to  the  colour.  This  method  is  in- 
deed much  longer  than  that  used  by  the  diers, 
who  immediately  pour  the  aquafortis  upon  the 
tin  reduced  to  small  pieces,  and  wait  till  a 
strong  fermentation  ensues,  and  a  great  quan- 
tity evaporates  before  they  weaken  it  with  com- 
mon water*  When  the  tin  is  thus  dissolved, 
this  scarlet  composition  is  made,  and  the  li- 
quor is  of  the  beautiful  colour  of  dissolved 
gold,  without  any  dirt  or  black  sediment,  as 
I  used  very  pure  tin  without  allay,  and  such 
as  runs  from  the  first  melting  of  the  furnaces  of 
Cornv/all.  This  solution  of  tin  is  very  trans- 
parent when  newly  made,  and  becomes  milky 
and  opaque  during  the  great  heat  of  summer; 
the  greatest  part  of  the  diers  are  of  opinion, 
that  it  is  then  changed  and  good  for  nothing; 
yet  mine,  notwithstanding  this  defect,  made  as 
bright  scarlet  as  if  it  had  remained  clear;  be- 
sides,  in  cold  v/eather^  what  I  made  recov^^red 
its  first  transparency.  It  must  be  kept  in  a  glass 
bottle  wirh  a  stopper,  to  prevent  the  evapora- 
tion of  the  volatile  parts. 

As  the  diers  do  not  attend  to  this,  their  com- 
position often  becomes  useless  at  the  end  of 
twelve  or  fifteen  days.  I  have  laid  down  the 
best  method,  and,  if  they  seek  perfection,  they 
will  abandon  their  old  practice,  which  is  im- 
perfect. 


124 


The  diers  in  France  first  put  into  a  ston.e 
vessel,  with  a  large  opening,  two  pounds  of 
3a!t  ammoniac,  two  ounces  of  refined  saltpetre, 
and  two  pounds  of  tin  reduced  to  grains  by 
water,  or,  which  is  srill  preferable,  the  filings 
of  tin  ;  for  when  it  has  been  melted  and  gra- 
nulated, there  is  always  a  small  portion  con- 
verted into  a  calx  which  does  not  dissolve. 
They  weigh  four  pounds  of  w^acer  in  a  sepa- 
rate vessel,  of  v^hich  they  pour  about  two 
ounces  upon  the  mixture  in  the  stone  vessel ; 
they  then  add  to  it  a  pound  and  a  half  of  com- 
mon aqua  fortis,  which  produces  a  violent  fer- 
mentation. When  the  ebullition  ceases,  they 
put  in  the  same  quantity  of  aqua  fortis,  and 
an  instant  after  they  add  one  pound  more. 
They  then  put  in  the  remainder  of  the  four 
pounds  of  water  they  had  set  aside;  the  vessel 
is  then  close  covered,  and  the  composition  let 
to  stand  nil  the  next  day. 

Thes^i  petre  and  salt  ammoniac  are  some- 
timc^s  dissolved  in  the  aqua  fortis  before  the  tin 
is  put  in  ;  they  practise  b<>th  methods  indiscri- 
minateiys  though  it  is  certain  that  this  last  me- 
thod is  bt  St.  Others  mix  the  water  and  aqua 
fortis  together,  and  pour  this  mixture  on  the 
tin  and  sak  ammoniac.  In  short,  every  dier 
follows  his  own  method. 

Water  for  the  Preparation  of  Scarlet.  -  * 

The  day  after  preparing  the  composition, 
the  v/ater  for  the  preparation  of  scarlet  is  made^ 


12S 


which  difFer^from  that  made  in  the  preceding 
chapter. 

Clear  the  water  well.  For  each  pound  of 
spun  wool,  put  twenty  quarts  of  very  clear  ri- 
ver water  (hard  spring  water  will  not  do)  into  a 
small  copper*  When  the  water  is  a  little  more 
than  lukewarm,  two  ounces  of  the  cream  of  tar- 
tar finely  powdered,  and  one  drachm  and  a 
half  of  powdered  and  sifted  cochineal  is  added. 
The  fire  is  then  made  a  little  stronger,  andl 
when  the  liquor  is  ready  to  boil  two  ounces  of 
the  composition  are  put  in.  This  acid  instantly 
changes  the  colour  of  the  liquor,  which,  from 
a  criuison,  becomes  of  the  colour  of  blood. 

As  soon  as  this  liquor  begins  to  boil,  the 
wool  is  dipped  in,  which  must  have  been  pre- 
viously wetted  in  warm  water  and  wrung.  The 
^  wool  is  continually  worked  in  this  liquor,  and 
left  to  boil  an  hour  and  a  half ;  it  is  then  taken 
out,  slightly  wrung,  and  washed  in  fresh  water. 
The  wool  coming  out  of  the  liquor  is  of  a 
lively  flesh  colour,  or  even  some  shades  deeper, 
'  according  to  the  goodness  of  the  cochineal^ 
and  the  strength  of  the  composition.  The  co- 
lour of  the  liquor  is  then  entirely  passed  into  the 
wool,  remaining  almost  as  clear  as  common 
water. 

This  is  called  the  water  of  preparation  for 
scarlet,  and  the  first  preparation  it  goes  through 
before  it  is  died;  a  preparation  absolutely  ne- 
cessary, without  which  the  die  of  the  cochi- 
neal would  not  be  so  good. 

L  2 


ia6 


Reddening. 

To  finish  it,  a  fresh  liquor  is  prepared  with 
clear  water,  the  goodness  of  the  water  being  of 
the  greatest  importance  towards  the  perfection 
of  the  scarlet.    An  ounce  and  a  half  of  search 
is  put  in*,  and  when  the  liquor  is  a  little  more 
than  lukewarm,  six  drachms  and  a  half  of  co- 
chineal finely  powdered  and  sifted  is  thrown  in. 
A  little  before  the  liquor  boils,  two  ounces  of 
the  composition  is  poured  in,  and  the  liquor 
changes  its  colour  as  in  the  former.    It  must 
boil,  and  then  the  wool  is  put  into  the  copper, 
and  continually  stirred  as  in  the  former*    It  is 
likewise  boiled  an  hour  and  a  half ;  it  is  then  ta- 
ken out,  wrung,  and  washed.    The  scarlet  is 
then  in  its  perfection. 

One  ounce  of  cochineal  is  sufficient  for  a 
pound  of  wool,  provided  it  be  worked  with  at- 
tention, and  after  the  manner  laid  down,  and 
that  no  die  remains  in  the  liquor.  For  coarse 
cloth  less  would  do,  or  half  as  much  for 
worsted.  However,  if  it  was  required  to  be 
deeper  of  cochineal,  a  drachm  or  two  might 
be  added,  but  not  more,  for  it  would  then  lose 
its  lustre  and  brightness. 

Though  I  have  mentioned  the  quantity  of 
the  composition,  both  in  the  water  of  the  pre- 
paration and  the  die,  yet  this  proportion  is  nat 
to  be  taken  as  a  fixed  rule. 


♦  Starch  softens  it. 


127 


The  aqua  fortis,  used  by  the  ciiers,  is  sel- 
dom of  an  equal  strength  ;  if,  therefore,  it  be 
always  mixed  with  an  equal  quantity  of  wa- 
ter, the  composition  would  not  produce  the 
same  effect ;  but  there  is  a  method  of  ascer- 
taining the  degree  of  acidity  of  aqua  fortis. 
For  exauiple,  to  use  that  only,  two  ounces  of 
which  would  dissolve  one  ounce  of  silver.  This 
would  produce  a  composition  that  would  be  al- 
ways equal,  but  the  quality  of  the  cochineal 
would  then  produce  new  varieties,  and  the  tri- 
fling difference  that  this  commonly  cause  s  in  the 
shade  of  scarlet  is  of  no  great  signification,  as 
more  or  less  may  be  used  to  bring  it  precisely 
to  the  colour  desired.    It  the  composition  be 
weak,  and  the  aforesaid  quantity  not  put  in, 
the  scarlet  will  be  a  deeper  and  fuller  in  colour. 
On  the  contrary,  if  a  little  more  is  added,  it 
will  be  more  on  the  orange,  and  have  what  is 
called  more  fire  ;  to  rectify  which,  add  a  little 
of  the  composition,  stirring  it  well  in  the  copper, 
having  first  taken  out  the  wool ;  for  if  it  was  to 
touch  any  part  before  it  was  thoroughly  mixed, 
it  would  blot  it.    If,  on  the  contrary,  the  scar- 
let has  too  much  fire,  that  is,  too  rriuch  on  the 
orange,  or  too  much  rouzed,  it  must  be  passed 
through  clear  warm  water  j  when  finished,  this 
saddens  it  a  little,  that  is,  diminishes  its  bright 
orange;  if  there  still  remained  too  much,  a 
little  Roman  alum  must  be  mixed  with  the  hoc 
water.  ^ 

For  spun  wool  that  is  to  have  all  the  various 
shades  of  scarlet,  about  half  the  cochineal;  and 


12.8 


half  the  composition  for  full  scarlet  is  sufficient. 
The  cream  of  tartar  must  also  be  diminished 
proporcionabiy  in  the  water  of  preparation. 
The  wool  must  be  divided  into  as  many  hanks 
or  skains  as  there  are  to  be  shades,  and  v/hen 
the  liquor  is  prepared,  the  skains  that  are  to  be 
lightest  are  first  to  be  dipped,  and  to  remain 
in  but  a  very  short  space  of  time;  then  tho&e 
that  are  to  be  a  little  deeper,  which  must  re- 
main in  somewhat  longer,  and  thus  proceeding 
to  the  deepest ;  the  wool  is  then  to  be  washed, 
and  the  liquor  prepared  to  finish  them.  In  this 
liquor,  each  of  these  shades  are  to  be  boiled 
one  after  the  other,  beginning  always  with  the 
lightest,  and  if  they  are  perceived  not  to  be  of 
the  proper  shade  they  must  be  passed  again 
through  the  liquor.  The  eye  of  a  dier,  will 
readily  judge  of  the  shades,  and  a  little  prac- 
tice will  bring  this  to  perfection. 

The  diers  are  divided  in  opinion  of  what 
metal  the  boiler  should  be  made.  In  Langue- 
doc  they  use  those  made  of  the  finest  block  tin, 
and  several  diers  in  Paris  follow  the  same 
method.  Yet  that  great  dier,  M.  de  Julienne, 
whose  scarlets  are  in  great  repute,  uses  brass. 
The  same  is  used  in  the  great  manufactory  at 
St.  Dennis.  M.  be  Julienne,  to  keep  the  stuffs 
from  touching  the  boiler,  makes  use  of  a  large 
rope  net  with  close  meshes.  At  St.  Dennis,  in- 
stead of  a  rope  net,  they  have  large  baskets, 
made  of  willow  stripped  of  the  bark,  and  not 
too  close  worked. 


129 


As  so  much  had  been  said  concerning  the 
metal  of  the  boiler,  I  tried  the  experiment.  I 
rook  too  ells  of  white  ^edan  cloth,  which  I  died 
in  two  separate  boilers  of  equal  size ;  one  was 
of  brass,  fitted  with  a  rope  net,  the  other  of 
block  tin.  The  cochineal,  the  composition, 
and  other  ingredients,  were  weighed  with  the 
utmost  accuracy  and  boiled  precisely  the  same 
time.  In  short,  I  took  all  possible  care  that 
the  process  should  be  the  same  in  both,  that  if 
any  difference  arose  it  might  only  be  attributed 
to  the  different  metals  of  the  boiler.  After  the 
first  liquor,  the  two  pieces  of  cloth  were  abso- 
lutely alike  only  that  which  had  been  boiled  in 
the  tin  vessel  appeared  a  little  more  streaked 
and  uneven,  which,  in  all  likelihood,  proceed- 
ed from  these  two  ells  of  cloth  being  less  :.cour- 
ed  at  the  mill  than  the  two  others  ;  the  two  pie- 
ces were  finished  each  in  the  separate  boilers, 
and  both  turned  out  very  fine  ;  bui  that  which 
had  been  made  in  the  tin  boiler  had  a  little  more 
fire  than  the  other,  and  the  last  was  a  little  more 
saddened.  It  would  have  been  an  easy  matter 
to  have  brought  them  both  to  the  same  shade, 
but  that  was  not  my  intention. 

From  this  experim»ent,  I  conclude,  that  when 
a  brass  boiler  is  used,  it  requires  a  little  ir.ore 
of  the  composition  than  the  tin  one  ^  but  this 
addition  of  the  composition  makes  the  cloth 
feel  rough;  to  avoid  this  defe£t,  the  Diers  who 
use  brass  vessels  put  in  a  little  turm.eric,  a  drug 
of  the  die,  but  which  gives  to  scarlet  tl'ar  ^iiade 
which  is  now  in  fashion ;  I  mean  that  flame- 


130 

colour,  which  the  eye  is  scarce  able  to  bear. 

This  adulteration  is  easily  discovered  by  cut- 
ting a  piece  of  the  cloth  ;  if  there  is  no  turme- 
ric, the  web  will  be  of  a  fine  white,  but  yellow 
if  there  is.  When  the  web  is  dyed  the  same  as 
the  surface,  it  is  said  that  colour  is  webbed, 
and  the  contrary,  when  the  middle  of  the  wea- 
ving remains  white.  The  lawful  scarlet  is  ne- 
ver dyed  in  the  web:  the  adulterated,  where 
the  turmeric  or  fustic  has  been  made  use  of,  is 
more  liable  to  change  its  colour  in  the  air  than 
the  other.  But  as  the  brightest  scarlets  are  now 
in  fashion,  and  must  have  a  yellow  cast,  it  is 
better  to  tolerate  the  use  of  turmeric,  than  to 
use  too  great  a  quantity  of  the  composition  to 
bring  the  scarlet  to  this  shade  ;  for  in  this  last 
case,  the  cloth  would  be  damaged  by  it,  would 
be  sooner  spotted  by  dirt  from  the  quality  of 
the  acid,  and  would  be  more  easily  torn,  be- 
cause acids  stiffen  the  fibrt-s  of  the  wool,  and 
render  them  brittle. 

I  must  also  take  notice,  that  if  a  copper  ves- 
sel is  used  it  cannot  be  kept  too  clean.  I  hive 
failed  several  times  with  my  pauerns  of  scarlet, 
by  not  having  the  copper  scoured. 

I  cannot  help  condemning  the  common  prac- 
tice of  some  diers,  even  the  most  eminent,  who 
prepare  their  liquor  over  nighc,  and  keep  it  hot 
till  next  morning,  when  they  dip  in  their  stuffs; 
this  they  do,  not  to  lose  time,  but  it  is  cerrain 
that  che  liquor  corrodes  the  copper  in  that  space^ 
and  by  introducing  particles  of  copper  in  the 
cloth,  prejudices  the  beauty  of  the  scarlet. 


^3^ 

They  may  say  they  only  put  in  their  composi- 
tion just  at  the  time  when  the  cloth  is  ready  to 
be  dipt  in  the  copper;  but  the  cream  of  tartar, 
or  the  white  tartar,  which  they  put  in  over  night, 
is  an  acid  salt  sufficient  to  corrode  the  copper 
of  the  vessel,  and  form  a  verdigrise,  although 
it  dilutes  itself  as  it  forms,  still  has  not  a  less 
effeft. 

It  would  therefore  be  better  to  make  use  of 
tin  boilers,  a  boiler  of  this  metal  must  contri- 
bute to  VAC  beauty  of  scarlet ;  but  these  boilers 
of  a  sufficient  s^ze  cost  much,  and  may  be  melt- 
ed by  the  negligence  of  the  workmen,  and  there 
is  a  difficulty  in  casting  them  of  so  great  a  size 
without  sand-flaws,  which  must  be  filled.  Now 
if  these  sand  -holes  are  filled  with  solder,  there 
must  of  necessity  be  places  in  the  boiler  that 
contain  lead  ;  this  lead  in  time  being  corroded 
by  the  acid  of  the  composition,  will  tarnish  the 
scarlet.  But  if  such  a  boiler  could  be  cast 
without  any  sand-holes,  it  is  certain  such  a  one 
would  be  preferable  to  all  others,  as  it  contrafts 
no  rusr,  and  if  the  acid  of  the  liquor  detaches 
some  parts,  they  cannot  be  hurtful. 

Having  laid  down  the  manner  of  dieing  spun 
wool  in  scarlet,  and  its  various  shades,  which 
are  so  necessary  for  tapestry  and  other  work,  it 
is  proper  to  give  an  idea  of  the  dieing  of  seve- 
ral pieces  of  scuff  at  one  time.  I  shall  relate 
this  operation  as  it  is  practised  in  Languedoc. 
I  made  the  trial  on  some  ells  of  stuff,  which 
succeeded  very  v^ei  ,  but  this  scarlet  was  not  so 
fi.oe  as  the  flame-coloured. 


132 


There  are  two  reasons  why  the  wool  is  not 
died  before  it  is  spun  (for  fine  colours)  first  in 
the  course  of  the  manufadluring,  rhat  is,  either 
in  the  spinning,  carding,  or  weaving,  it  would 
be  almost  impossible  in  a  large  v;orkshop,  where 
there  are  many  workmen,  but  that  some  parti- 
cles of  white  wool,  or  some  other  colour  would 
mix,  which  would  spoil  that  of  the  stuff  by 
blotting  it  ever  so  little;  for  that  reason,  the 
reds,  the  blues,  the  yellows,  the  greens,  and  all 
other  colours  that  are  to  be  perfedlly  uniform, 
are  never  died  before  they  are  manufaftured. 

The  second  reason,  which  is  peculiar  to  scar- 
let, or  rather  to  cochineal,  is,  that  it  will  not 
stand  the  milling,  and  as  the  greatest  part  of 
high  stuffs  must  be  milled  after  they  are  taken 
from  the  loom,  the  cochineal  would  lose  part  of 
its  colour,  or  at  least  would  be  greatly  sadden- 
ed ny  the  soap,  which  produces  this  effedl  by 
the  alkaline  salt  which  destroys  the  brightness 
given  to  the  red  by  the  acid  These  are  the 
reasons  that  the  cloths  and  stuffs  are  not  died  in 
scarlet,  light  red,  crimson,  violet,  purple,  and 
other  light  colours,  but  after  being  entirely 
milled  and  dressed. 

To  die,  for  example,  five  pieces  of  cloth  at 
one  time  of  five  quarters  breadth,  and  contain- 
ing fifteen  or  sixteen  ells  each,  the  following 
proportions  are  to  be  observed.  Put  into  a 
stone  or  glazed  earthen  pot  twelve  pounds  of 
aqua  fortis,  and  twenty  pounds  of  water,  to 
which  add  a  pound  and  a  hall  of  tin,  made  in 
grains  by  running  it  in  water,  or  filed.  The 


133 


dissolution  is  made  quicker  or  slower,  accord- 
ing to  the  greater  or  lesser  acidity  of  the  aqua 
fortis.  The  whole  is  left  to  rest  twelve  hours 
at  least,  during  which  tinne  a  kind  of  black 
niud  settles  at  the  bottom  of  the  vessel;  what 
swiiHs  over  this  sediment  is  poured  off  by  in*» 
clination;  this  liquor  is  clear  and  yellow,  and 
is  the  composition  which  is  to  be  kept  by  it- 
self. 

This  process  differs  from  the  first  in  the  quan- 
tity of  water  mixr  with  the  aqua  fortis,  and  in 
the  small  quantity  of  tin,  little  of  "which  must 
remain  in  the  liquor,  since  aqua  fortis  alone 
cannot  dissolve  it,  but  only  corrodes  it,  and 
reduces  it  to  a  calx,  as  there  is  neither  salt  pe- 
tre,  nor  salt  ammoniac  which  would  fonvi  an 
aqua  regia.  However,  the  effecfl  of  this  com- 
position differs  from  the  first  only  to  the  eyes 
accustomed  to  judge  of  that  colour. 

This  composition  made  without  salt  ammo- 
niac, and  which  has  been  of  long  use  amongst 
a  great  nuaiber  of  manufadturers  ac  Carcassone, 
who  certainly  imagined  that  its  effed  was  ow- 
ing to  the  sulphur  of  the  tin,  can  only  keep 
thirty-six  hours  in  winter  without  spoiling,  and 
twenty-four  hours  in  summer ^  at  the  expiration 
of  which  it  grows  muddy,  and  a  cloud  preci- 
pitates to  the  bottom  of  the  vessel,  which  chan- 
ges to  a  white  sediment.  This  is  the  small 
quantity  of  tin,  which  was  suspended  in  the 
acid,  but  an  acid  not  prepared  for  that  metal  ^ 
the  composition  which  ought  to  be  yellow  be- 
comes at  that  time  as  clear  as  water,  and  if  used 

M 


^34 


in  that  state  would  not  succeed ;  it  would  have 
the  same  effeft  as  that  which  would  become 
milky. 

The  late  M.  Baron  pretended  to  have  been 
the  first  discoverer  at  Carcassone  of  the  neces- 
sity of  adding  salt  ammoniac  to  hinder  the  tin 
from  precipitating.  If  so,  there  was  no  one 
in  that  town  that  knew  that  tin  cannot  be  real- 
ly dissolved  but  by  aqua  regia. 

Having  prepared  the  com,position  as  I  have 
described  it  after  M.  de  Fondriers,  about  sixty 
cubical  feet  of  water  are  put  into  a  large  cop- 
per for  the  five  pieces  of  cloth  before  mention- 
ed, and  when  the  water  grows  warm,  a  bag 
with  bran  is  put  in,  sometimes  also  sour  waters 
are  used  :  the  one  and  the  other  serve  to  cor- 
real the  water,  that  is,  to  absorb  the  earthy  and 
alkaline  matters  which  may  be  in  it,  and  which, 
as  1  have  already  said,  saddens  the  dye  of  the 
cochineal,  for  the  effeft  of  the  water  ought  to 
be  well  known,  and  experience  will  teach  whe- 
ther such  expedients  should  be  used,  or  whether 
the  water,  being  very  pure  and  denulated  of 
salts  and  earthy  particles,  can  be  used  without 
such  helps. 

Be  that  as  it  will,  as  soon  as  the  water  begins 
to  be  little  more  than  lukewarm,  ten  pounds  of 
powdered  cream  of  tartar  is  flung  in,  that  is, 
two  pounds  for  each  piece  of  cloth.  The  li- 
quor is  then  raked  strongly,  and  when  it  grows 
a  little  hotter,  half  a  pound  of  powdered  cochi- 
neal is  cast  in,  which  is  well  mixr  with  sticks; 
immediately  after,  twenty-seven  pounds  of  the 


135 

composition  very  clear  is  poured  in,  which  is 
also  well  ftirred,  and  as  soon  as  the  liquor  be- 
gins to  boil,  the  cloths  are  put  in,  which  are 
made  to  boil  strongly  for  two  hours,  stirring 
them  continually  by  the  help  of  the  wynch ; 
they  are  then  taken  out  upon  the  scray,  and 
well  handled  three  or  four  times  from  end  to 
end,  by  passing  the  lists  between  the  hands  to 
air  and  cool  them.  They  are  afterwards  wash- 
ed. 

After  the  cloth  has  been  washed,  the  copper 
is  emptied  and  a  fresh  liquor  prepared,  to  which 
if  necessary,  a  bag  with  bran  or  some  sour  wa- 
ter is  added;  but  if  the  water  is  of  a  good  qua- 
lity, these  are  to  be  omitted  ;  when  the  lic|uor 
is  rea  iy  to  boil,  eight  pounds  and  a  quarter  of 
powdered  and  sifted  cochineal  is.  put  in,  which 
is  to  be  mixed  as  equally  as  possible  through- 
out the  liquor,  and  having  left  off  stirring,  ic 
is  to  be  observed  when  the  cochineal  rises  on 
the  surface  of  the  water,  and  forms  a  crust  of 
the  colour  of  the  lees  of  the  wine;  tlie  instant 
this  crust  opens  of  itself  in  several  places,  eigh- 
teen or  twenty  pounds  of  the  composition  is  to 
be  added.  A  vessel  with  cold  water  must  be 
at  hand  to  cast  on  the  liquor  in  case  it  should 
rise,  as  it  sometimes  does,  after  the  composi- 
tion is  put  in. 

As  soon  as  the  composition  is  in  the  copper^ 
and  equally  distributed  throughout  the  whole, 
the  cloth  is  cast  in,  and  the  wynch  strongly 
turned  two  or  three  times,  that  all  the  pieces 
may  equally  take  the  dye  of  the  cochineaL 


136 

Afterwards  it  is  turned  slowly  to  let  the  water 
boil,  which  it  must  do  very  fast  for  one  hour, 
always  turning  the  wynch,  and  sinking  the  clorh 
in  the  liquor  with  sticks,  when  by  boiling  it 
rises  too  much  on  the  surface.  The  cloth  is 
then  taken  out,  and  the  lists  passed  between 
the  hunds  to  air  and  cool  it;  it  is  then  washed, 
after  which  it  is  to  be  died  and  dressed. 

In  each  piece  of  the  Languedoc  scarlet  clorh 
there  is  used,  as  has  been  shewn,  one  pound 
and  three  quarters  of  cochineal  in  the  die  and 
preparation;  this  quantity  is  sufficient  to  give 
the  cloth  a  very  beautiful  colour.  If  more  co- 
chineal was  added,  and  a  deeper  orange-colour 
required,  the  quantity  of  the  composition  must 
be  augmented. 

When  a  great  quantity  of  stuffs  are  to  be 
died  in  scarlet,  a  considerable  profit  arises  by 
doing  them  together^  for  the  same  liquor  serves 
for  the  second  dip  which  was  used  for  the  first. 
For  example :  when  the  five  first  pieces  are  fi- 
nished, there  always  remains  in  the  liquor  a 
certain  quantity  of  cochineal,  which  in  seven 
pounds  may  amount  to  twelve  ounces ;  so  that 
if  this  liquor  be  u  ed  to  die  other  stuffs,  the 
cloth-  dipped  in  it  will  have  the  same  shade  of 
rose  colour  as  if  they  had  been  died  in  a  fresh 
liquor  with  twelve  ounces  of  cochineal;  yet  this 
quantity  may  vary  pretty  much,  according  to 
the  quality  or  choice  of  the  cochineal,  or  ac* 
cording  to  the  fineness  it  has  been  reduced  to 
when  powdered.  1  shall  say  no  more  of  this 
before  I  finish  this  chapter ;  but  whatever  co- 


^37 

lour  may  ren^ain  in  theliquorj  it  deserves  some 
attenrion  on  account  of  the  high  price  of  this 
drog.  The  saine  liquor  is  (hen  n^ade  use  of 
for  other  five  pieces,  and  less  cochineal  and 
composition  are  put  in  proportion  to  what  may 
be  judged  to  remain  j  fire  and  time  are  also  sa- 
ved by  this,  and  rose-colour  and  flesh-colour 
may  also  be  produced  from  it  but  if  the  diers 
have  no  leisure  to  make  these  difl^erent  liquors 
in  twenty-four  hours,  the  colour  of  the  liquor 
corrupts,  grows  turbid,  and  loses  the  rose  co- 
lour entirely,  l  o  prevent  this  corruption  some 
put  in  Rornan  alum,  but  the  scarlets  which  are 
prepared  after  that  manner  are  ill  saddened. 

When  cloths  of  different  cjualities,  or  any 
other  stuffs  are  to  be  died,  the  surest  method 
is  to  weigh  them,  and  for  each  hundred  weight 
of  cloth  add  about  six  pounds  of  crystal  or 
cream  of  tartar,  eighteen  pounds  of  composi- 
tion in  the  water  of  preparation,  as  much  for 
the  reddening,  and  six  pounds  and  a  quarter  of 
cochineal.  rhus  in  proportion  for  one  pound 
of  stuff  use  one  ounce  of  cream  of  tartar,  six 
ounces  of  composition,  and  one  ounce  of  cochi- 
neal; some  eminent  diers  at  Paris  put  two-thirds 
of  the  composition  and  a  fourth  of  the  cochi- 
neal in  the  water  of  preparation,  and  the  other 
third  of  the  composition  with  three  fourths  of 
the  cochineal  in  reddening. 

It  is  not  customai  y  to  put  cream  of  tartar  in 
the  reddening,  yet  I  am  certain,  by  experience, 
that  it  does  not  hurt,  provided  the  quantity 
does  not  ex'ceed  half  the  weight  of  the  cochi- 

M  z 


I3B 


neal,  and  ic  appeared  to  me  to  make  a  more 
lasting  colour.  Some  diers  have  made  scarlet 
with  three  dippings  ;  namely,  a  first  and  second 
water  for  preparation,  and  then  the  reddening; 
but  still  the  same  quantity  of  drugs  is  always 
used. 

I  observed,  in  the  foregoing  chapter,  that  the 
little  use  made  of  kermes  for  the  brown  or  Ve- 
netian scarlets,  obliges  most  diers  to  make  them 
with  cochineal ;  for  this  purpose  a  water  of  pre- 
paration is  made  as  usual ;  and  for  the  redden- 
ing, eight  pounds  of  alum  are  added  for  each 
hundred  weight  of  stuff;  this  alum  is  dissolved 
by  itself  in  a  kettle,  with  a  sufficient  quantity 
of  water,  then  poured  into  the  liquor  before 
the  cochineal  is  put  in.  The  remainder  is  per- 
formed exa£lly  as  in  the  common  scarlet;  this 
is  the  Venetian  scarlet,  but  it  has  not  near  the 
same  solidity  as  if  made  with  the  kermes. 

There  are  no  alkaline  salts  which  do  not  sad- 
den scarlet;  of  this  number  are  the  salt  of  tar- 
tar, pot-ash^  pearl-ashes  calcined,  and  nitre 
fi^ed  by  fire ;  therefore  alum  is  more  generally 
used  ;  and  if  these  alkaline  salts  be  boiled  with 
the  stuffs,  they  would  considerably  damage 
them,  for  they  dissolve  all  animal  substances. 
If  the  alum  be  calcined,  it  is  still  the  more  se- 
cure. 

The  redder  the  scarlet  is,  the  more  it  has 
been  saddened  ;  from  thence  it  appears  that 
these  colours  lose  in  the  liquor  that  browns 
them  a  part  of  their  ground  ;  however  one  can- 
not brown  in  the  good  dye  but  with  salts.  The 


^39 


late  M.  Baron  observc-s,  in  a  memoir  he  gave 
some  timie  ago  to  the  Royal  Academy  of  Scien- 
ces, that  all  the  salts  he  had  made  use  of  for 
browning,  making  the  colour  smooth,  and  pre- 
serving its  brightness  and  deepness,  [le  had 
succeeded  best  with  salt  of  urine,  bur,  as  he 
observes,  it  is  too  troublesome  to  make  this 
salt  in  any  quantity/ 

I  said,  in  the  beginning  of  this  chapter,  that 
the  choice  of  the  water  for  dying  of  scarlet  w^is 
very  material,  as  the  greatest  part. of  common 
water  saddens  it,  for  they  mostly  contain  a 
chalky,  calcareous  earth,  and  sometimics  a  sul- 
i^hureous  or  vitriolic  acid;  these  are  common- 
ly called  hard  waters,  that  is,  they  will  not  dis- 
solve soap  or  boil  vegetables  well.  By  finding 
a  method  of  absorbing  or  precipitating  these 
hurtful  matters,  all  waters  m.ay  be  equally  good 
for  this  kind  of  die  :  thus,  if  alkaline  mjatters 
are  to  be  removed,  a  little  sour  w  at' r  produces 
this  effect ;  for  if  five  or  six  buckets  of  these 
sour  waters  are  m'xed  with  sixty  or  seventy  of 
the  hard  water  before  it  comes  to  boil,  these  al- 
kaline earths  rise  in  a  scum,  which  is  easily  ta- 
ken off  the  liquor. 

All  that  I  have  hitherto  said  in  this  chapter 
is  for  the  instrudtion  of  diers;  I  shall  nov/  make 
an  attempt  to  satisfy  the  philosopher  how  these 
different  effefts  are  produced. 

Cochineal,  infused  or  boiled  by  itself  in  pure 
water,  gives  a  crimson  colour  bordering  on  the 
purple;  this  is  its  natural  colour;  put  it  into 
a  glass,  and  drop  on  it  spines  of  nitre ;  this 


24c 


colour  will  become  yellow,  and  if  you  still  add 
iHon.%  you  vyill  scarcely  perceive  that  there  was 
originally  any  red  in  the  liquor;  thus  the  acid 
destroys  the  red  by  disbolving  it  and  dividing 
irs  parts  so  in  nuttly  that  they  escape  the  sight. 
If  in  this  experiment  a  vicnolic,  instead  of  a 
nitrous  acid  be  used,  the  first  changes  of  the 
colour  will  be  purple,  then  purpled  hlac,  after 
that  a  light  lilac,  then  flesh-colour,  and  lastly, 
colourless.  Tliis  bluish  substance,  which  mix- 
es with  the  red  to  form  a  purple,  may  proceed 
from  that  small  portion  of  iron,  from  whicli  oil 
of  viiriol  is  rarely  exempt.  In  the  liquor  of 
preparation  for  scarlet,  no  other  salt  but  cream 
of  tartar  is  used,  no  alum  is  added  as  in  the 
common  preparing  water  for  other  colours,  be- 
cause it  would  sadden  the  dye  by  its  virriolic 
acid  ;  yet  a  calx  or  lime  is  required,  which, 
v/ith  the  red  parts  of  the  cochineal,  may  form 
a  kind  of  lake  like  that  the  painters  use,  which 
may  set  in  the  pores  of  the  wool  by  the  help  of 
the  crystal  of  tartar. 

This  white  calx  is  found  in  the  solution  of 
Very  pure  tin,  and  if  the  experiment  of  the  die 
is  made  in  any  small  glazed  earthen  vessel,  im- 
mediately on  the  cochineal's  communicating 
its  tindure  to  the  water,  and  then  adding  the 
composition  drop  by  drof),  each  drop  may  be 
perceived  with  a  glass  or  lens,  to  form  a  small 
circle,  in  which  a  brisk  fermentation  is  carried 
on  ;  the  calx  of  rhe  tin  will  be  seen  to  separate,' 
aad  instantaneously  to  take  the  bright  die^j 


141 


which  the  cloth  will  receive  in  the  sequel  of 
the  operation. 

A  furchcr  proof  that  this  white  calx  of  tin  is 
necessary  in  tiiis operation,  is,  that  if  cochineal 
was  used  with  aqua  fortis,  or  spirits  of  nitre 
alone  a  very  ugly  crimson  would  be  obtained  ;  if 
a  solution  of  any  other  metal  was  made  use  of  in 
spirits  of  nitre,  as  of  iron  or  mercury,  from  the 
first  would  be  had  a  deep  cinder-grey,  and  from 
the  second,  a  chesniit  colour  with  green  streaks, 
without  being  able  to  trace  in  the  one  or  other 
any  remains  of  the  red  of  the  cochineal.  There- 
fore, by  what  I  have  laid  down,  it  may  be  rea- 
sonable to  suppose,  that  the  white  calx  of  the 
tin,  having  been  died  by  the  colouring  parts 
of  the  cochineal,  rouzed  by  the  acid  of  the  dis- 
solvent of  this  metal,  has  formed  this  kind  of 
earthy  lake,  whose  atoms  have  introduced  them- 
selves into  the  pores  of  the  wool,  which  were 
opened  by  the  boiling  water,  that  they  are 
plaistered  by  the  crystal  of  tartar,  and  these 
pores,  suddenly  contracting  by  tiie  immediate 
cold  the  cloth  was  exposed  to  by  airin^^,  that 
these  colouring  particles  are  found  sufficiently 
set  in  to  be  of  the  good  die,  and  that  the  air 
will  take  off  the  primitive  brightness,  in  pro- 
portion to  the  various  matters  with  which  it  is 
impregnated.  In  the  country,  for  example, 
and  particularly  if  the  situation  be  high,  a 
scarlet  cloth  preserves  its  brightness  much 
longer  than  in  great  cities,  where  the  urinous 
anJ  alkaline  vapours  are  more  abundant.  For 
the  same  reason,  the  country  mud,  which  in 


142 


roads  is  generally  but  an  earth  diluted  by  rain 
water,  does  not  stain  scarlet  as  the  mud"  of 
towns  where  there  are  urinous  matters,  and 
often  a  great  deal  of  dissolved  iron,  as  in  the 
streets  of  great  cities,  for  it  is  well  known  that 
any  alkaline  matter  destroys  the  effect  which 
an  acid  !ias  produced  on  any  colour  whatso- 
ever. And  for  the  like  reason,  if  a  piece  of 
scarlet  is  boiled  in  a  ley  of  pot~ash,  this  co- 
lour becomes  purple,  and  by  a  continuation  of 
boiling  it  is  entirely  taken  out  ;  thus  from  this 
fixed  alkali,  and  the  crystal  of  tartar,  a  solu- 
ble tartar  is  made,  which  the  water  dij-solves 
and  easily  detaches  from  the  pores  of  the  wool : 
all  the  mastic  of  the  colouring  parts  is  then 
destroyed,  and  they  enter  into  the  leyb  of  the 
salts, 

I  have  tried  several  experiments  on  the  die 
of  cochineal,  to  discover  what  might  be  pro- 
duced from  the  un^onof  its  red  with  other  dif- 
ferent matters,  w^hich  generally  are  not  esteem- 
ed colouring;  but  I  shall  only  relate  here  such 
as  had  the  most  singular  effects. 

Experiments  cn  Cochineal  liquor. 

Zinc  dissolved  in  spirit  of  nitre  changes  tK^ 
red  of  cochineal  to  a  slatey  violet  colour. 

The  salt  of  lead,  used  instead  of  cream  of 
tartar,  makes  a  lilac  somewhat  faded  ;  a  proof 
that  some  portion  of  lead  is  joined  to  the  co- 
lour of  the  cochineal. 


H3 


Vitriolated  tartar  made  with  pot-ash  and  vi- 
triol destroys  its  red,  and  there  only  remains  an 
agath  grey. 

Bismuth  dissolved  in  spirit  of  nitre,  weak- 
ened by  an  equal  part  of  common  water,  and 
poured  on  the  liquor  of  cochineal,  gives  the 
cloth  a  dove-grey,  very  beautiful  and  very 
bright. 

A  solution  of  copper  in  spirit  of  nitre  not 
weakened,  gives  to  the  cochineal  a  dirty  crim- 
son, 

Cupullated  silver,  a  cinnam.on  colour,  a  little 
on  the  brown. 

Arsenic  added  to  the  liquor  of  cochineal, 
gives  a  brighter  cinnamon  than  the  preceding. 

Gold  dissolved  in  aqua  regia  gave  a  streak- 
ed chesnut,  which  made  the  cloch  appear  as  if 
it  had  been  manufactured  with  wool  of  dif- 
ferent colours. 

Mercury  dissolved  with  spirit  of  nitre,  pro- 
duces pretty  near  the  same  effect. 

Glauber's  salts  alone  destroys  the  red,  like 
the  vitriolated  tartar,  and  produces  like  that  an 
agath  gr  y,  but  not  of  the  good  die;  because 
this  salt  easily  dissolves  even  in  cold  water, 
and  besides  it  calcines  in  the  air. 

The  fixed  salt  of  urine  gives  a  cinder-grey 
colour,  where  not  the  least  tincture  of  red  is 
perceived,  and  like  the  foregoing  is  not  of  a 
good  die,  for  it  is  a  salt  that  cannot  form  a  so- 
lid cement  in  the  pores  of  the  wool,  as  it  is 
soluble  by  the  moisture  of  the  air. 


144 


Violet  without  Blue,^ 

Lastly,  the  extract  of  bismuth  changes  the 
cochineal  red  to  a  purple,  alaiost  violet,  as 
beautiful  as  if  this  red  had  been  put  on  a  cloth 
that  had  been  previously  died  of  a  sky-blue. 

From  these  exp(-rimenrs  it  is  evident,  that 
the  salts  and  metallic  solutions  yield  particles 
which  unite  themselves  with  the  particles  of  the 
colouring  ingrtdienrs  used  in  dieing,  and 
which  salts  and  particles  contribute  greatly  to 
the  tenacity  of  colours. 

Before  I  finish  this  chapter  on  scarlet,  I  must 
add  some  observations  which  perhaps  the  rea- 
der may  be  glad  ro  knov.^ 

Neither  the  mud  of  the  streets  nor  several 
acrid  matters  can  stain  scarlet,  if  the  spotted 
part  is  im^mcdiately  washed  with  plain  clean 
water  and  a  clean  cloth ;  but  if  the  mud  has 
had  time  to  dry,  then  the  spot  appears  of  a  vi- 
olet black  'y  this  cannot  be  taken  off  but  by  a 
vegetable  acid,  such  as  vinegar,  lemon-juice, 
or  a  warm  solution  of  white  tartar  slightly  load- 
ed with  salts  ;  but  if  these  acids  are  not  made 
use  of  with  precaution  and  skill  in  taking  off 
the  black  spot,  a  yellow  one  will  succeed ;  be- 
cause, as  has  been  said  before,  the  acids  rouse 
and  even  destroy  the  red  of  the  cochineal. 

But  there  are  some  for  which  the  colour  must 
be  discharged,  and  the  stuff  died  agam.  There 
are  other  sales,  besides  alkalis  which  will  dis- 
charge the  colour  of  scarlet ;  for  if  a  piece  of 


H5 

scarlet  cloth  be  put  into  the  water  of  prepara- 
tion for  that  colour,  it  will  lose  a  great  part  of 
its  colour,  insomuch,  that  if  it  was  sewed  with 
two  or  three  pieces  of  white  cloth,  it  would  be 
difficult  after  one  hour's  boiling  to  distinguish 
which  was  the  scarlet  from  the  others ;  but  if 
it  was  boiled  afresh  in  a  liquor,  of  cochineal  or 
in  the  reddening,  it  would  regain  its  first  co- 
lour. 

Scarlets  always  lose  some  part  of  their 
brightness  in  the  dressing,  for  the  dressing  lays 
the  hair,  and  forces  the  fibres  to  be  almost  pa- 
rallel  to  the  web.  In  this  case  the  cloth  has 
numerically  less  surface,  and  consequently  less 
rays  of  light  are  reflected  from  it.  Besides  the 
extremity  of  the  hair  is  always  most  penetrated 
with  the  die  which  causes  the  brightness,  and 
v/hen  it  is  laid  on  the  cloth,  the  greatest  part  of 
these  points  appear  no  more. 


CHAPTER  XL 


OF  CRIMSON. 

CRIMSON,  as  I  have  already  observed,  is 
rhe  natural  colour  of  the  cochineal,  or  ra- 
ther, that  which  it  gives  to  wool  boiled  with 
alum  and  tartar,  which  h  the  usual  water  of 

N 


146 


preparation  for  all  colours.  This  is  the  method 
which  is  commonly  practised  for  spun  wool; 
it  is  almost  the  same  for  cloths,  as  will  be  seen 
hereafter* 

For  each  pound  of  wool,  two  ounces  and  a 
half  of  alum,  and  an  ounce  and  a  half  of  white 
tartar,  are  put  into  the  copper.  When  the 
whole  boils,  the  wool  is  put  in,  well  stirred, 
and  left  to  boil  for  two  hours ;  it  is  afterwards 
taken  out,  slightly  wrung,  put  into  a  bag,  and 
left  thus  with  its  water,  as  for  the  scarlet  in 
grain,  and  for  all  other  colours. 

For  the  die  a  fresh  liquor  is  made,  in  which 
three-fourths  of  an  ounce  of  cochineal  is  added 
for  each  pound  of  wool.  When  the  liquor  is 
little  more  than  luke-warm,  the  cochineal  is 
put  in,  and  when  it  begins  to  boil,  the  wool  is 
cast  in,  which  is  to  be  well  stirred  with  sticks; 
it  is  to  remain  thus  for  an  hour ;  when  taken 
out,  wrung  and  washed. 

If  degrees  of  shades  are  required,  (whose 
names  are  merely  arbitrary)  proceed,  as  has 
been  already  related  for  the  scarlet,  using  but 
half  the  cochineal  at  first,  and  beginning  with 
the  lightest. 

The  beauty  of  crimson  consists  in  its  bor- 
dering as  much  as  possible  on  the  grisdelin,  a 
colour  between  a  grey  and  a  violet.  I  made 
several  trials  to  bring  crimson  to  a  higher  per-- 
feclion  than  most  diers  have  hitherto  done,  and 
indeed  I  succeeded  so  as  to  make  it  as  fine  as 
the  false  crimson,  which  is  always  brighter  than 
the  fine. 


H7 

This  is  the  principle  on  which  I  worked.  As 
all  alkalis  sadden  cochineal,  I  tried  soap,  ba- 
rilla, pot-ash,  pearK ashes;  all  these  salts  brought 
the  crimson  to  the  shade  I  wanted,  but  at  the 
same  time,  they  tarnished  and  diminished  its 
brightness.  I  then  bethought  myself  to  make 
use  of  volatile  alkalis,  and  I  found  that  the 
volatile  spirit  of  salt  ammoniac  produced  a  ve- 
ry good  effed  j  but  this  spirit  instantly  evapo- 
rated, and  a  pretty  considerable  quantity  was 
used  in  the  liquor,  which  greatly  augmentecr 
the  price  of  the  die. 

I  then  had  recourse  to  another  expedient 
which  succeeded  better,  the  expense  of  which 
is  trifling.  This  was  to  make  the  volatile  al- 
kali of  the  salt  ammoniac  enter  into  the  liquor, 
at  the  very  instant  that  it  comes  out  of  its  ba- 
sis; and  to  effect  this,  after  my  crimson  was 
made  after  the  usual  manner,  I  passed  through 
a  fresh  liquor,  in  which  I  had  dissolved  a  little 
of  the  salt  ammoniac.  As  soon  as  the  liquor 
was  a  little  more  than  lukewarm,  I  flung  in 
as  much  pot-ash  as  I  had  before  of  salt  ammo- 
niac, and  my  wool  immediately  took  a  very 
brilliant  colour. 

This  method  even  spares  the  cochineal ;  for 
this  new  liquor  makes  it  rise,  and  then  less  may 
be  used  than  in  the  common  process;  but  the 
greatest  part  of  diers,  even  the  most  eminent, 
sadden  their  crimsons  with  archil,  a  drug  of  the 
false  die. 

Very  beautiful  crimsons  are  also  made  by- 
boiling  the  wool  as  for  the  common  scarlet,  and 


148 


then  boiling  it  in  a  second  liquor,  with  two 
ounces  of  alum  and  one  ounce  ol'  tartar,  for 
each  pound  of  wool,  leaving  it  one  hour  in  the 
liquor.  A  fresh  liquor  is  then  prepared,  in 
which  six  drachms  of  cochineal  is  put  for  eve- 
ly  pound  of  wool.  After  it  has  remained  an 
hour  in  this  liquor,  n  is  taken  our,  and  passed 
immediately  through  a  liquor  of  barilla  and 
sale  ainmoniac.  By  this  method,  gradations  of 
very  beautiful  crimson  shades  are  made  by  di- 
minishing the  quantity  of  the  cochineal.  It  is 
to  be  obsvrrved,  that  in  this  process  there  are 
but  six  drachms  of  cochineal  to  die  each  pound 
of  wool,  because  in  the  first  liquor  a  drachm 
and  a  half  of  cochineal  is  used  for  each  pound. 
It  is  also  necessary  to  rtmark,  that,  to  sadilen 
these  crimsons,  the  liquor  of  the  alkaline  sale 
and  salt  ammoniac  be  not  made  too  hot,  be- 
cause the  separation  of  the  volatile  spirit  of 
th  s  l  iSt  salt  would  be  too  quick,  and  the  crys- 
tal of  tartar  of  the  first  liquor  would  lose  its 
proprr  effefl  by  being  changed,  as  I  have  al- 
ready said  into  a  soluble  tartar. 

The  same  operation  may  be  done  by  using 
one  part  of  the  cochineal  sylvestre  instead  of 
the  Hne  cochineal,  and  the  colour  is  not  less 
beautiful,  for  commonly  four  parts  of  sylvestre 
have  not  more  eiTed  in  dieing  than  one  part  of 
fine  cochineal.  The  sylvestre  may  also  be  used 
in  dying  scarlet,  but  with  great  precaution;  it 
should  only  be  used  in  bastard  scarlets  and  half 
crimsons.  I  shall  speak  of  this  when  I  treat 
of  these  colours  in  particular. 


149 


When  a  scarlet  is  spotted  or  spoiled  in  the- 
operation  by  some  unforeseen  accident,  or  even 
when  the  die  has  failed,  the  common  remedy  is 
to  make  it  a  crimson,  and  for  that  purpose,  it 
is  dipt  in  a  liquor  where  about  two  pounds  of 
alum  are  added  for  each  hundred  weight  of 
wool.  It  is  immediately  plunged  in  this  liquor, 
and  left  there  until  it  has  acquired  the  shade  ot 
the  crimson  desired. 

Langue-doc  Crimson. 

I  shall  now  shew  the  method  they  follow  in 
Languedoc  to  make  a  very  beautiful  sort  of 
crimson,  or  the  cloths  exported  to  the  Levant, 
but  which  is  not  so  much  saddened  as  that 
which  I  have  just  spoken  of,  and  which  resem- 
bles much  more  the  Venetian  scarlet.  For  five 
pieces  of  cloth  the  liquor  is  prepared  as  usual, 
putting  bran  if  necessary.  When  it  is  more 
than  lukewarm,  ten  pounds  of  sea-sait  are  pur, 
instead  of  crystal  of  tartar,  and  when  it  is  rea- 
dy to  boil,  twenty-seven  pounds  of  the  scarlet 
coiiiposicion,  made  after  the  manner  of  carcas- 
sine  already  debcribed,  are  poured  in,  and  with- 
out adding  cochineal  the  cloth  is  passed  through 
this  liquor  for  two  hours,  keeping  it  always 
turning  with  the  wynch,  and  continually  b6il- 
ing.  It  is  afterwards  taken  out,  aired  and  wash- 
ed ;  then  a  fresh  liquor  is  made,  with  eight 
pounds  and  three  quarters  of  cochineal  pow- 
dered and  sifted,  and  when  it  is  ready  ro  boil, 
twentv-one  pounds  of  compositioa  are  added  5 

N  2 


i5o 

the  cloth  is  boiled  for  three  quarters  of  an  hour 
with  the  common  precautions,  after  which  it  is 
taken  out,  aired  and  washed:  It  is  of  a  very 
fine  crimson,  but  very  little  saddened  ;  if  it  is 
req  ired  to  be  more  sacidened,  a  greater  quan- 
tity of  alum  is  put  into  the  first  liquor  of  pre- 
paration, and  in  the  second  less  of  the  compo- 
sition, the  sea-sait  is  also  added  to  this  second 
liquor;  a  little  praftice  in  this  method  will 
GOon  teach  the  dier  to  make  all  the  shades  that 
can  properly  be  derived  from  crimson. 

Whenever  cochineal  has  been  used,  there  is 
found  at  the  bottom  of  the  reddening  liquor  a 
quantity  of  very  brown  sediment,  which  is 
flung  away  with  the  liquor  as  useless.  1  exa- 
mined it  and  round,  that  the  liquor  for  the  red- 
dening of  scarlet  contained  a  precipitated  calx 
of  tin  :  I  united  this  metal  with  a  great  deal  of 
trouble;  the  remaining  parts  of  this  sediment 
are  the  dross  of  the  white  tartar,  or  of  the  cream 
of  tartar,  united  with  the  gross  parts  of  the  bo- 
dies of  the  cochineal,  which  is,  as  has  already 
been  said,  a  small  inseft.  I  washed  these  little 
animal  parts  in  cold  water,  and,  by  shaking 
this  water,  I  colle6ted,  with  a  small  sieve,  what 
the  agitation  caused  to  rise  on  the  surface. 

After  this  manner  I  separated  these  light 
parts  from  the  earthy  and  metallic ;  I  dried 
them  separately,  then  levigated  them  with  e- 
qual  weight  of  fresh  crystal  of  tartar  j  I  boil- 
ed a  portion  with  a  little  alum,  and  put  in  a 
pattern  of  white  cloth,  which  boiled  for  three 
quarters  of  an  hour,  at  the  end  of  which  it  was 
died  of  a  very  bqautiful  crimson. 


^5^  • 

This  experiirenc  having  convinced  wiv,  that 
by  powdtrmg  and  sifting  the  cochineal  as  is 
comnnoniy  practised,  all  the  profit  that  might 
be  extraited  from  this  dear  drug  is  not  obtain- 
ed, I  thought  proper  to  conununicate  this  dis- 
covery to  the  diers,  thac  they  might  avail  them- 
selves of  it  by  the  method  following. 

Take  one  ounce  of  cochineal  powdered  and 
sifted  as  usual;  mix  with  it  a  quarter  of  its 
weight  of  very  white  cream  of  rartar  very  crys- 
talline and  very  airy  ;  put  the  whole  on  a  hard 
levigating  stone,  and  levigate  this  mixture  till 
it  is  reduced  to  an  impalpable  powder;  make 
use  of  this  cochineal  thus  prepared  in  the  liquor, 
and  in  the  reddening,  subtracting  from  the  cream 
of  rartar,  which  is  to  be  used  in  the  liquor,  the 
s  nail  quantity  before  used  with  tlie  cochineal. 
What  IS  put  to  the  reddening,  although  mixed 
with  a  fourth  of  the  same  salt,  does  not  preju- 
dice its  colour,  it  even  appeared  co  w,^  that  it 
was  more  solid.  Those  that  will  follov/  this 
method  will  find  that  there  is  about  a  fourth 
more  profit  to  be  obtained  by  it. 

The  Natural  Crimson  in  Grain. 

In  proportion  for  every  pound  of  cloth  or 
other  things,  take  two  ounces  of  tartar  pure, 
and  two  ounces  of  alum  ;  boil  them  with  the 
goods  an  hour  and  a  half;  then  rince  the  goods 
very  well  from  the  boiling.  The  kettle  must 
be  filled  again  with  clear  water  and  a  few  hand- 
fuls  of  bran  put  in;  in  order  to  take  out  the  filth 


152 


of  the  vvatc^r,  ns  well  as  to  soften  it.  Scum  the 
scurf  off*  when  it  begins  to  boil,  and  put  in  an 
ounce  of  well  powdered  grain,  with  one  dram 
of  red  arsrnic  and  one  spoonful  of  burnt  wine 
lees;  this  gives  a  pretty  lustre^  then  wash  and 
rince  it  well,  and  you  have  a  most  beautiful 
colour. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


SCARLET  OF    GUM  LACQUE. 

THE  red  part  of  the  gum-lacque  may  be 
also  used  for  the  dicing  of  scarlet,  and  if 
this  scarlet  has  not  all  the  brightness  of  that 
made  of  fine  cochineal  alone,  it  has  the  advan- 
tage of  being  more  lasting. 

The  gum-lacque,  which  is  in  branches  or 
small  sticks  and  full  of  animal  parts,  is  the  fit- 
test for  dicing.  It  must  be  red  within,  and  its 
external  parts  of  a  blackish  brown  ;  it  appears 
by  a  particular  examination  made  of  it  by  M. 
Geoffroy  some  years  since,  that  it  is  a  sort  of 
hive,  somewhat  like  that  of  bees,  wasps,  &c. 

Some  diers  make  use  of  it  powdered  and  tied 
in  a  linen  bagj  but  this  is  a  bad  method,  for 
rht^re  always  passes  through  the  cloth  some  re- 
sinous portion  of  the  gum,  which  melrs  in  the 
boilmg  water  of  the  copper,  and  sticks  to  the 


153 


cloth,  where  it  becomes  so  adherent  when  cold, 
that  it  must  be  scraped  off  with  a  knife. 

Others  reduce  it  to  powder,  boil  it  in  water, 
and  afrer  it  has  given  all  its  colour,  let  it  cool, 
and  the  resinous  parts  fall  to  the  bottom.  The 
water  is  poured  out,  and  evaporated  by  the  air, 
where  it  often  becomes  stinking,  and  when  it 
has  acquired  the  consistence  of  thick  honey,  it 
is  put  up  into  vessels  for  use.  Under  this  form 
it  IS  pretty  difficult  lustiy  to  determine  the  quan- 
tity that  is  used  ;  this  induced  me  to  seek  the 
means  of  obtaining  this  tinfture  separated  from 
its  resinous  gum^  without  being  obliged  to  eva- 
porate so  great  a  quantity  of  water  to  have  it 
dry,  and  to  reduce  it  to  powder. 

I  tried  it  with  weak  lime  water,  with  a  de- 
co<5lion  of  the  heart  of  agaric,  with  a  decodion 
of  comfrey  root,  recomm.ended  in  an  ancirnt 
book  of  physic;  in  all  these  the  water  leaves  a 
part  of  the  die,  and  it  still  passes  too  full  of  co- 
lour, and  it  ought  to  be  evaporated  to  get  all 
the  dye  ;  this  evaporation  I  wanted  to  avoid, 
therefore  I  made  use  of  mucilaginous  or  slimy 
roots,  which  of  themselves  gave  no  colour,  but 
whose  mucilage  might  retain  the  colouring 
parts,  so  that  they  might  remain  with  it  on  the 
filter. 

The  great  comfrey- root  has,  as  yet,  the  best 
answered  my  intention  :  I  use  it  dry  and  in  a 
gross  powder,  putting  half  a  dram  to  each  quart 
of  v^'ater,  which  is  boiled  a  quarter  of  an  hour, 
passing  it  through  a  hair  sieve.  It  imm>ediate- 
ly  extrads  from  it  a  beautiful  crimson  tindurej 


^54 

put  the  vessel  to  digest  in  a  moderate  heat  for 
twelve  hours,  shaking  it  seven  or  eight  times  to 
mix  it  with  the  gum  that  remains  at  the  bottom, 
then  pour  off  the  water  that  is  loaded  with  co- 
lour in  a  vessel  sufficiently  large,  that  three- 
fourths  may  remain  empty,  and  fill  it  with  eold 
water:  then  pour  a  very  small  quantity  of  strong 
solution  of  Roman  alum  on  the  tinfture  ;  the 
mucilaginous  or  slimy  die  precipitates  itself, 
and  if  the  water  which  appears  on  the  top  ap- 
pears still  coloured,  add  some  drops  of  the  so- 
lution of  alum  to  finish  the  precipitation,  and 
this  repeat  till  the  water  becomes  as  clear  as 
common  water. 

When  the  crimson  mucilage  or  slime  is  all 
sunk  to  the  bottom  of  the  vessel,  draw  off  the 
clear  water,  and  filter  the  remainder;  after 
which,  dry  it  in  the  sun. 

If  the  first  mucilaginous  water  has  not  ex- 
traded  all  the  colour  of  the  gum-lacque,  (which 
is  known  by  the  remaining  being  of  a  weak 
straw  colour)  repeat  the  operation  until  you  se- 
parate all  the  die  the  gum-lacque  can  furnish  ; 
and  as  it  is  reduced  to  powder  when  dry,  the 
quantity  to  be  used  in  the  die  is  more  exaftly 
ascertained  than  by  evaporating  it  to  the  con- 
sistence of  an  extraft. 

Good  gum  lacque,  picked  from  its  sticks, 
yields,  dried  and  powdered,  but  little  more  die 
than  one-fifth  of  its  weight.  Thus  at  the  price 
it  bears  at  present,  there  is  not  so  great  an  ad- 
vantage as  many  may  imagine  in  using  it  in  the 
place  of  cochineal;  but  to  make  the  scarlet  cp- 


^55 


lour  more  lasting  than  it  commonly  is,  it  may 
be  used  in  the  first  liquor  or  preparation,  and 
cochineal  for  reddening. 

If  scarlet  is  made  of  gum-lacque,  extraded 
according  to  the  method  here  taught,  and  re- 
duced to  powder,  a  caution  is  to  be  taken  in 
dissolving  it,  which  is  useless  when  cochineal 
is  used  ;  that  is,  if  it  was  put  into  the  liquor 
ready  to  boil,  the  dier  would  lose  three-quar- 
ters of  an  hour,  before  it  would  be  dissolved 
entirely ;  therefore  for  despatch,  put  the  dose 
of  this  dry  tindure  into  a  large  earthen  vessel, 
or  into  one  of  tin,  pour  warm  water  on  it,  and 
when  it  is  well  moistened,  add  the  necessary 
dose  of  the  composition  lor  scarlet,  stirring  the 
mixture  well  with  a  glass  pestle.  This  powder, 
which  was  of  a  dirty  deep  purple,  as  it  dis- 
solves takes  fire-coloured  red  extremely  bright; 
pour  the  dissolution  into  the  liquor,  in  which 
was  previously  put  the  crystal  of  tartar,  and  as 
soon  as  this  liquor  begins  to  boil,  dip  the  cloth 
in,  keeping  it  continually  turning.  The  re- 
maining part  of  the  operation  is  the  same  as 
that  of  scarlet  with  cochineal :  the  extradl:  of 
gum-lacque,  prepared  according  to  my  method, 
yields  about  one-ninth  more  of  die  than  cochi- 
neal, at  least  than  that  which  I  made  use  of  for 
this  comparison. 

If  instead  of  the  crystal  of  tartar  and  the 
comiposition  of  some  fixed  alkaline  salt  or  lime 
water  is  substituted,  the  bright  red  of  the  gum 
lacque  is  changed  into  the  colour  of  lees  of 
wine,  so  that  this  die  does  not  sadden  so  easily 
aa  that  of  cochineal. 


156 


If  instead  of  these  alteratives,  salt  ammoniac 
is  used  by  iiself,  cinnamon  or  clear  chesnut  co- 
lours are  obtained,  and  that  according  as  there 
is  more  or  less  of  this  salt.  I  have  made  twen- 
ty other  experiments  on  this  drug,  which  I  shall 
not  relate  here,  because  they  produced  none  but 
common  colours,  and  which  may  be  easier  had 
from  ingredients  of  a  lower  price.  My  expe- 
riments were  with  a  view  of  improving  the  red 
of  the  lacque,  and  the  method  I  have  here  laid 
down  to  extraft  its  colouring  parts  answers  ex- 
tremely well;  the  more  ingredients  that  are  dis- 
covered for  scarlet,  the  less  will  be  the  cost; 
for,  although  these  experiments  made  on  co- 
chineal, lacque,  and  other  drugs,  may  appear 
useless  to  some  diers,  they  will  not  be  so  to 
others  who  study  to  improve  this  art»* 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


OF   THE   coccus   POLONICUS,   A  COLOURING 
INSECT. 

THE  coccus  polonicus  is  a  little  round  inseft, 
somewhat  less  than  a  coriander  seed  ;  it 
is  found  sticking  to  the  roots  of  the  polygonum 

•  The  colouring  parts  of  the  giim-Iacque  may  be  extracted 
by  rommon  river  water,  by  rnaknig  it  a  little  more  tlian  luke- 
warm, and  inclosing  the  powdered  lacque  in  a  coarse  woollen 
bag. 


157 

cocciferum  incanam  flore  major e  per enni  of  Ray, 
and  which  M.  i'ournefort  has  named  t:?/ti>)';;2/7/^* 
graminco  folis  majore  fiore.  According  to  M. 
Breyn,  it  abounds  in  the  palatinate  of  Kioviat, 
bordering  the  Ukrania,  towards  the  towns  of 
Ludnow,  Piarka,  Stobdyzeze,  and  other  sandy 
places  of  Ukrania  and  Bodolia,  of  Volhinia, 
of  the  grand  duchy  of  Lithuania,  and  even  in 
Prussia,  towards  Thorn. 

Those  that  gather  them  say,  that  immedi- 
ately after  the  summer  solstice  the  coccus  is 
ripe,  and  full  of  its  purple  juice.  They  hold 
in  their  hand  a  small  hollow  shade,  made  in  the 
shape  of  a  shepherd's  crook,  which  has  a  short 
handle.  With. one  hand  they  hold  the  plant, 
raising  it  out  of  the  ground  with  the  ori  er, 
armed  with  this  instrument;  they  then  sh.^ke 
off  these  little  insefts,  and  place  the  plant  in 
the  same  hole  in  order  to  preserve  it. 

Having  separated  the  coccus  from  the  earth, 
which  they  do  by  a  riddle  made  for  that  pur- 
pose, their  chief  care  is,  that  it  should  not 
change  into  a  small  worm ;  for  this  purpose  < 
t,hey  sprinkle  it  with  vinegar,  and  sometimes 
With  very  cold  water;  they  then  bring  them  to 
a  warm  place,  or  else  expose  them  to  the  sun 
to  dry;  without  this,  these  inseds  would  de- 
stroy themselves,  and  if  they  were  dried  too 
precipitately,  they  would  lose  their  beautiful 
colour.  Sometimes  they  separate  these  small 
inseds  from  their  vesicles  or  bladders  with  the 
ends  of  their  ffngers  by  a  gentle  pressure,  which 
they  form  into  small  round  cakes.    The  dicrs 

O 


iS8 

pay  dearer  for  this  die  when  in  lump  than  when 
it  IS  in  grain. 

Bernard  de  Bcrnitz,  from  whose  book  I  have 
taken  this,  adds,  that  the  great  marechal  Ko- 
nitspoliki,  and  some  other  Polish  noblemen, 
who  had  lands  in  the  Ukrania,  set  this  gather- 
ing of  the  coccus  to  the  Jews  at  a  considerable 
profit,  and  caused  it  to  be  gathered  by  their 
vassals;  that  the  Turks  and  Arminians,  who 
bought  this  drug  of  the  Jev;s,  used  it  for  the 
dieing  of  wool,  silk,  the  manes  and  tails  of 
their  horses ;  that  the  Turkish  women  made 
use  of  it  to  paint  their  fingers'- ends  of  a  beau- 
tiful carnation  colour ;  and  that  formerly^  the 
Dutch  used  to  buy  the  coccus  at  a  high  price, 
and  mixed  it  with  an  equal  quantity  of  cochi- 
neal j  that  with  the  die  of  this  inseft  and  chalk, 
a  lacque  for  the  painters  might  be  made  as  fine 
as  the  Florence  lacque;  and  that  a  beautiful  red 
was  prepared  from  it  for  the  toilet  of  the  ladies 
in  France  and  Spain. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


OF   THE  RED  OF  MADDER. 

THE  root  of  madder  is  the  only  part  of 
this  plant  which  is  used  in  dieing.  Of 
all  the  reds  this  is  the  m,ost  lasting,  when  it  is 


^59 


put  on  a  cloth  or  stuff  that  is  thoroughly  scour- 
ed, then  prepared  with  the  salts  with  which  it 
is  to  be  boiled  two  or  three  hours,  without 
which,  this  red,  so  tenacious  after  the  prepara- 
tion of  the  subjcft,  would  scarcely  resist  more 
the  proofs  of  the  reds  than  any  other  ingredi- 
ents of  the  false  die.  This  is  a  proof  that  the 
pores  of  the  fibres  of  the  wool  ought  not  only 
to  be  well  scoured  from  the  yolk  or  undluous 
transpiration  of  the  animal,  which  may  have 
remained,  notwithstanding  the  scouring  of  the 
wool  after  the  common  manner  with  water  and 
urine;  but  it  is  also  necessary,  that  these  same 
pores  be  plaistered  inwardly  with  some  of  those 
salts  which  are  called  hard,  because  they  do 
not  calcine  in  the  air,  and  cannot  be  dissolved 
by  rain  water,  or  by  the  moisture  of  the  air  in 
rainy  weather.  Such  is,  as  has  been  said  be- 
fore, the  white  crude  tartar,  the  red  and  the 
crystal  of  tartar,  of  which,  according  to  com- 
mon custom,  about  a  fourth  is  put  into  the  pre- 
paring liquor,  with  two-thirds  or  three-fourths 
of  alum. 

The  best  madder  roots  come  generally  from 
Zealand,  where  this  plant  is  cultivated  in  the 
islands  of  Tfrgoes,  Zerzee,  Sommerdyke,  and 
Thoolen.  That  from  the  first  of  these  islands 
is  esteemed  the  best ;  the  soil  is  clay,  fat,  and 
somewhat  salt.  The  lands  that  are  deemed  the 
best  for  the  cultivation  of  this  plant  are  new 
lands,  that  only  served  for  pasture,  which  are 
always  fresher  and  moister  than  others.  The 
Zealanders  are  beholden  to  the  refugees  of 


i6o 

Flanders  for  the  cultivation  and  great  commerce 
of  this  root. 

It  is  known  in  trade  and  dicing  under  the 
names  of  grape-madder,  bunch  madder,  &c. 
It  is  however  the  same  root ;  all  the  differc  nee 
in  regard  to  its  quality  is,  that  the  one  kind 
contains  pith  and  root,  and  the  other  has  the 
small  fibres  from  its  principal  root  adhering  to 
it. 

Both  are  prepared  by  the  same  v/ork,  which 
I  shall  not  relate  the  particulars  of  here,  as  it 
would  only  serve  to  lengthen  this  treatise  to  no 
purpose. 

They  choose  the  finest  roots  for  the  first  sort, 
drying  them  with  care,  grinding  them  and  se- 
parating the  rind  at  the  mill,  and  preserving  the 
middle  of  the  root  ground  in  hogsheads,  where 
it  remains  for  tv/o  or  three  years;  for  after  this 
time,  it  is  better  for  dicing  than  it  would  have 
been  coining  from  the  mill ;  for  if  madder  was 
not  kept  close  after  this  manner,  the  air  v/ould 
sp  )ii  u,  and  the  colour  would  be  less  bright. 
It  is  at  first  yellow,  but  it  reddens  and  grows 
brown  by  age ;  the  best  is  of  a  saffron  colour, 
in  hard  lumps,  of  a  srrong  smell,  and  yet  not 
disagreeable.  It  is  also  cultivated  about  Lisle 
in  Flanders,  and  several  other  places  of  the 
k  n[>dom,  where  it  was  found  to  grow  sponta- 
neously. 

The  madders  which  are  made  use  of  in  the 
Levant  and  in  India,  for  the  dicing  of  cottons, 
are  somewhat  different  from  the  kinds  used  in 
Europe,  it  is  named  chat  on  the  coast  of  Coro- 


i6i 


mande).  This  plant  thus  called,  grows  abun- 
dantly in  the  woods  on  the  coast  of  MaJabaf;, 
and  this  chai  is  the  wild  sorr.  The  cultivated 
coines  from  Vasur  and  Tuccorin,  and  the  most 
esteemed  of  all  is  the  chat  of  Persia,  nanned 
dumas 

They  also  gather  on  the  coast  of  Goromandel 
the  root  of  another  plant  called  ray  de  chaye^ 
or  root  of  colour,  and  which  was  thought  to 
be  a  kind  of  rubia  tirMorumy  but  is  the  root  of 
a  kind  of  gallium  flore  albo^  as  it  appeared  by 
observations  sent  from  India  in  1748.  It  has 
a  long  slender  root,  which  dies  cotton  of  a  to* 
lerabie  han  isome  red,  when  it  has  received  all 
the  preparations  previous  to  the  die. 

At  Kurder,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Smyrna, 
and  in  the  countries  of  Akissar  and  of  Yordas, 
they  cultivate  another  kind  of  madder,  which 
is  called  in  the  country  chioc-hoya  ekme  hazala. 
This  of  all  the  madders  is  the  best  for  the  red 
die,  by  the  proofs  that  have  been  made  of  it, 
and  far  more  esteemed  in  the  Levant  than  the 
finest  Zealand  madder  the  Dutch  bring  there. 
This  madder  so  much  valued  is  called  by  the 
modern  Greeks  iizariy  and  by  the  Arabs 

There  is  another  kind  of  madder  in  Canada 
called  tyssa-voyana.  It  is  a  very  small  root, 
which  produces  pretty  near  the  same  effect  as 
our  European  madder. 

*  These  kinds  of  madders  give  brighter  reds  than  the  best 
grape  madder  of  Zealand,  for  they  are  died  in  the  air  and  no£ 
in  a  stove.  The  madder  of  Languedoc,  even  that  ot  Poitou, 
succeeds  as  well  as  that  of  hzari,  when  it  is  dried  without 
iire, 

o  2 


l62 


The  water  of  preparation  for  madder  red  is 
pretty  near  the  same  as  for  kermes,  that  is  com- 
posed of  alum  and  tartar.  The  dieis  do  not 
agree  as  to  the  proportions  ;  but  the  best  ap- 
pears to  be  four  ounces  of  alum  and  one  of  red 
tartar  to  each  pound  of  spun  wool,  and  about 
one-twelfth  part  of  sour  water,  and  let  the  wool 
boil  in  it  for  two  hours.  If  it  is  spun  woo), 
leave  it  for  seven  or  tight  days,  that  ic  may  be 
well  moistened  by  the  dissolution  of  these  salts  5 
and  if  it  is  cloth,  finish  it  the  fourth  day. 

To  die  wool  with  madder,  prepare  a  fresh 
liquor,  and  when  the  water  is  come  to  a  heat 
CO  bear  the  hand,  put  in  half  a  pound  of  the 
finest  grape  madde^r  for  each  pound  of  wool; 
let  it  be  well  raked  and  mixed  in  the  copper 
before  the  wool  goes  in,  keep  the  wool  in  an 
hour,  during  which  time  it  must  not  boil.* 
Shades  froai  madder  are  obtained  after  the 
manner  laid  down  for  other  colours,  but  these 
shades  are  little  used,  except  in  a  mixture  of 
several  colours. 

When  several  pieces  of  cloth  are  to  be  died 
at  once  in  madder  red,  the  operation  is  the  same, 
only  augmenting  the  ingredients  in  proportion; 
and  let  it  be  remarked  that  in  small  operations 
the  quantity  of  ingredients  m^ust  be  somewhat 
greater  than  in  great,  not  only  in  madder  red, 
but  in  all  other  colours. 

These  reds  are  never  so  beautiful  as  those  of 
the  kermes,  and  much  lebs  so  than  those  of  the 

*  If  madder  is  boiled,  its  red  becomes  obscure,  and  of  a 
brick  colour. 


162 


lacque  or  cochineal,  bur  they  cost  iess^  and  arc 
made  use  of  for  common  htuffs  whose  low  pri- 
ces would  not  allow  a  dearer  die.  Most  of  the 
reds  for  the  army  are  of  madder,  saddened  with 
archil  or  brazil,  (though  these  drugs  be  of  the 
safe  die)  to  make  them  finer,  and  more  on  the 
velvet,  which  perfedlion  could  not  be  procured 
to  them  even  with  cochineal,  without  conside- 
rably augmenting  the  price. 

I  have  already  said  that  madder  put  on  fluffs 
not  being  prepared  to  receive  it  by  the  alum 
and  tartar-wacer,  did  in  fadl:  give  its  red  colour, 
but  that  which  it  died  was  blotted  and  not  last- 
ing, it  is  therefore  the  salts  that  secure  the  die; 
this  is  common  to  all  other  colours  red  or  yel- 
low, which  cannot  be  made  without  a  prepa- 
ring liquor.  Now  the  question  is,  whether  these 
act  by  taking  otF  the  remains  of  the  oily  and 
fat  transpiration  of  the  sheep^  or  whether  that 
of  the  two  salts,  particularly  that  which  even 
cannot  be  carried  by  luke-warm  water,  remains 
to  catch,  seize  and  cement  the  colouring  atom, 
opened  or  dilated  by  the  heat  of  water  to  re- 
ceive It,  and  contracted  by  the  cold  to  retain  it. 

To  determine  which,  use  any  alkaline  salts^ 
such  as  pot  ash,  the  clarified  lays  of  oak-ashes, 
or  any  other  pure  lixivial  salt  in  tead  of  alum 
and  tartar,  put  in  a  due  proportion  so  as  nor  to 
dissolve  the  wool,  and  afterwards  dip  the  stuff 
in  madder  liquor.  This  stuff  will  come  out 
coloured,  but  will  not  last,  even  boiling  water 
will  carry  off  three-fourths  of  the  colour.  Now 
it  cannot  be  said  that  a  fixed  alkaline  salt  is  un- 


164 


fit  to  extraft  from  the  pores  of  the  wool  the 
yolk  or  fat  of  the  sheep,  since  lixiviai  sait^>  are 
used  with  success  in  several  cases,  to  take  the 
grease  out  of  sturFs  of  whac  kind  soever  they 
be,  which  water  alone  could  not  take  off  It 
is  also  well  known,  that  with  fars  foreign  to  the 
stuff,  and  an  alkaline  salr,  a  kind  of  soap  is 
formed  v^hich  water  easily  carries  off. 

Again,  take  a  piece  of  scuff  died  in  madder 
red^  according  to  the  usual  method,  boil  it  some 
time  in  a  solution  of  fixed  alkaline  salts,  a  small 
quantity  will  also  ^destroy  the  colour,  for  the 
fixed  alkali,  attacking  the  small  atoms  of  the 
crystal  of  tartar,  or  crude  tartar,  which  lines 
the  pores  of  the  wool,  forms  a  soluble  tartar, 
which  water  dissolves  very  easily,  and  conse- 
quently the  pores  being  opened  in  the  hot  wa- 
ter of  the  experiment,  the  colouring  atom  came 
out  with  the  saline  atom  that  sheathed  it. 

This  stuff  being  washed  in  water,  the  remain- 
ing red  colour  is  diluted,  and  a  colour  half 
brown  and  half  dirty  remains.  If,  instead  of 
an  alkaline  sale,  soap  is  substituted,  (which  is 
an  alkaline  salr,  mitigated  by  oil)  and  another 
piece  of  cloth  died  also  in  madder,  be  boiled 
for  a  few  minutes,  the  red  will  become  finer, 
because  the  alkali  which  is  in  the  soap  being 
sheathed  with  oil,  it  could  not  attack  the  vege- 
table acid,  and  the  boiling  only  carried  off  the 
colouring  parts  ill  stuck  together,  and  their 
numbers  diminishing,  what  remains  must  ap- 
pear deeper  or  clearer* 


i65 

I  must  also  add,  for  further  proof  of  the 
actual  existence  of  salts  in  the  pores  of  a  stuff 
prepared  with  alum  and  tartar,  before  dieing  it 
with  madder,  that  more  or  less  tarrar  gives  an 
infinite  variety  of  shades  with  this  root  only; 
for  if  the  quantity  of  alum  be  diminished,  and 
that  of  the  tartar  augmented,  a  cinnamon  will 
be  had,  and  even  if  nothing  but  tartar  alone 
be  put  into  the  liquor,  the  red  is  lost,  and  a 
deep  cinnamon  or  brown  root  colour  is  obtain- 
ed, though  of  a  very  good  die  y  for  the  crude 
tartar,  which  is  an  acid  salr,  has  so  much  dis- 
solved tht  part  which  should  have  produced 
the  red  colour,  that  there  only  remained  a  very 
small  quantity,  with  the  ligneous  fibres  of  rhe 
root,  which,  like  all  other  common  roots,  does 
then  yield  but  a  brown  colour,  more  or  less 
deep  according  to  the  quantity  used.  I  have 
already  proved  that  the  acid  which  brightens 
the  red,  dissolves  them  if  too  m.uch  is^  used, 
and  divides  them  into  particles  so  extremely 
minute,  that  they  are  not  perceptible. 

If  in  the  place  of  tartar,  any  salt  which  is 
easily  dissolved  be  put  with  the  alum  in  the  li- 
quor, to  prepare  the  stufl^  for  the  madder  die, 
such  as  saltpetre,  the  greater  part  of  the  mad- 
der red  becomes  useless,  it  disappears,  or  does 
not  stick  on,  and  nothing  is  got  but  a  very 
bright  cinnamon,  whicli  will  not  sufficiently 
stand  the  proof,  because  cne  two  SvUc!>  used  in 
the  preparing  liquor  are  not  of  the  hardi:e:':s  of 
the  tartar. 


i66 


Volatile  urinous  alkalis  which  are  obtained 
from  certain  plants,  such  as  the  periUa,  the  ar- 
chil of  the  Canaries,  and  other  mosses  or  li- 
chens, destroy  also  the  madder  red,  but  at  the 
same  time  communicate  another  to  it,  for  on 
experiment,  madder  prepared  after  the  manner 
of  archil  with  fermented  urine  and  quick  lime, 
produced  only  nut  colours,  but  which  neverthe- 
less are  lasting;  because  there  entered  into  the 
liquor  only  the  little  portion  of  urinous  vola- 
tile that  moistened  the  madder  which  the  boil- 
ing was  sufficient  to  evaporate,  and  besides,, 
the  cloth  was  sufficiently  furnished  with  the 
salts  of  the  liquor  made  as  usual,  to  retain  the 
colouring  parts  of  the  die. 

When  a  pure  red,  that  for  cochineal  an  ex- 
ample, is  laid  upon  a  cloth  first  died  in  blue, 
and  afterwards  prepared  with  the  liquor  of  tar- 
tar, and  alum  to  receive  and  retain  this  red,  a 
purple  or  violet  is  produced  according  to  the 
quantity  of  blue  or  red.  The  red  of  madder 
has  not  this  effeft,  for  it  is  not  a  pure  red  like' 
that  of  the  cochineal,  and  as  I  said  above,  it  is 
altered  by  the  brown  ligneous  fibres  of  its  root, 
and  makes  on  the  blue  a  chesnut  colour,  more 
or  less  deep  according  to  the  preceding  intensi- 
ty of  the  blue  first  laid  on.  If  this  chesnut  co- 
lour is  wanted  to  have  purple  cast,  a  little  co- 
chineal must  be  added. 

In  order  to  avoid  this  brown  of  the  root,  the 
diers  who  make  the  best  rt  ds  of  madder  take 
great  heed  to  use  the  liquor  of  madder  a  little 
more  than  luke-warm  3  the  madder  tarnishes 


167 


considerably  by  the  heat  of  the  water,  extract- 
ing the  particles  which  die  brown^  and  unite 
themselves  with  the  red. 

This  inconveniency  might  be  remedied,  if  at 
the  time  that  the  madder  root  is  fresh  a  means 
could  be  found  to  separate  from  the  rest  of  this 
root  the  red  circle  which  is  underneath  its 
brown  pelicle,  and  which  surrounds  the  mid- 
dle pith ;  but  this  work  would  augment  its 
price,  and  even  then  it  would  not  afford  so 
good  a  red  as  cochineal.  However,  it  might 
be  attempted  to  die  cottons  red,  whose  price 
might  bear  the  expenses  of  this  preparation. 

Madder  being  of  all  ingredients  the  cheapest 
of  any  that  die  red  and  of « the  good  die,  it  is 
mixt  with  others  to  diminish  the  price.  It  is 
with  madder  and  kermes  that  the  bastard  scar- 
lets of  grain  are  died,  otherwise  called  half- 
grain  scarlets,  and  with  madder  and  cochineal 
the  half-common  scarlets,  and  the  half-crimsons 
are  made. 

To  make  the  half-grain  scarlet,  the  water 
of  preparation,  and  all  the  rest  of  the  operation 
is  to  be  performed  after  the  same  manner  as 
scarlet  made  of  the  grain  of  kermes,  or  the 
common  Venetian,  only  the  second  liquor  is 
composed  of  half  kermes  and  half  grape  mad- 
der. 

For  the  half-scarlet  and  flamie- colour,  the 
composition  and  preparation  is  as  usual,  no- 
thing but  pure  cochineal  being  put  in,  but  iit 
the  reddening,  half  cochineal  and  half  madder 
is  used ;  here  also  the  sylvestre  may  be  made  use 


i68 


of,  for  after  having  made  the  preparation  with 
cochineal,  for  reddening,  use  half  a  pound  of 
cochineal,  a  pound  and  a  half  of  sylvestre,  and 
one  pound  of  madder  instead  of  cochineal 
alone. 

That  the  wool  and  stuffs  may  be  died  as 
equally  as  possible,  it  is  necessary  that  the  two 
kinds  of  cochineal  be  well  rubbed  or  sifted, 
as  also  the  madder,  with  which  they  must  be 
well  incorporated  before  they  are  put  into  the 
liquor.  This  must  be  observed  in  all  colours 
where  several  ingredients  are  mixt  together. 
This  half  scarlet  is  finished  like  the  common 
scarlet,  and  it  may  be  saddened  after  the  same 
manner,  either  with  boiling  water  or  alum. 

The  half'Cnmson  is  made  like  the  common 
crimson,  only  using  half  madder,  and  half  co- 
chineal, the  cochineal  sylvestre  may  be  used 
here  also,  observing  only  to  retrench  half  of 
the  common  cochineal,  and  to  replace  it  with 
three  times  as  much  of  the  sylvestre.  If  a 
greater  quantity  of  the  sylvestre  was  used,  and 
more  of  the  other  taken  off,  the  colour  would 
not  be  so  fine.  Various  shades  may  be  pro- 
duced by  augmenting  or  lessening  the  madder 
or  cochineal. 

Purple  with  Madder  without  Blue. 

I  shall  finish  this  chapter  with  an  experiment 
which  afforded  a  pretty  fine  purple  without  co- 
chineal, or  without  the  cloth  being  first  died 
blue.    I  boiled  a  piece  of  cloth  weighing  half 


169 


^an  ounce,  with  ten  grains  of  Roman  alum,  and 
six  grains  of  crystal  of  tartar;  half  an  hour  af- 
ter I  took  it  out,  wrung  it,  and  let  it  cool ; 
then  added  to  the  same  liquor  twenty-four 
grains  of  grape  madder  j  after  it  had  furnished 
its  die  to  this  liquor,  still  impregnated  with 
salts  I  dropt  in  twenty-four  drops  of  a  solution 
of  bismuth,  made  with  equal  oarts  of  water  and 
spirit  of  nitre,  and  then  dipt  my  cloth  again» 
Half  an  hour  after,  I  took  it  our,  wrung  and 
washed  it;  it  was  almost  as  fine  a  crim.son  as 
if  it  had  been  done  with  cochineal,  it  had  even 
a  sufficient  ground  to  have  remained  in  that 
state. 

I  dipt  it  again  in  the  same  liquor,  and  boil- 
ed it  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour ;  it  came  out  a 
pretty  bright  purple ;  this  purple,  tried  by  the 
proof  of  alum,  rouses  and  emnellishes  itself, 
and  by  the  proof  of  soap  it  remained  of  a  much 
finer  red  than  the  common  reds  of  madder. 

If  the  cloth  be  kept  for  several  days  mois- 
tened in  its  liquor  of  tartar  and  alum,  and  af- 
terwards died  in  fresh  madder  liquor,  plain  and 
without  salts,  according  to  the  common  me- 
thod till  it  has  taken  a  bright  cinnamon  colour, 
>and  to  this  liquor  be  added  the  same  solution 
of  bismuth,  a  chesnut  colour,  and  no  purple 
will  be  obtained.  Th  s  shows  what  exactness 
is  required  in  describing  the  processes  of  dic- 
ing, for  want  of  which,  all  books  hitherto 
published  on  this  art  have  been  useless,  as 
they  neglected  to  point  out  the  necessary  cir- 

P 


170 


cumstances  for  the  success  of  the  desired  co- 
lour. 

In  this  second  experiment,  the  cloth  did  at 
first  take  too  much  salts,  they  remained  too 
long  in  it,  and  there  was  none  in  the  liquor  of 
the  die;  for  want  of  alum  the  purple  did  not 
appear,  because  the  white  earth  of  this  sale 
could  not  precipitate  itself  with  the  dissolved 
parts  of  the  bismuth,  which,  as  has  been  said 
in  the  chapter  of  the  kermes,  carry  with  them 
the  blue  parts  of  the  smalt,  which  is  always 
found  in  the  mine  of  bismuth,  and  a  por- 
tion of  which  very  probably  unites  itself  to  this 
half  metal  during  the  melting.  This  mutual 
precipitation  is  performed  in  operation  of  die-  , 
ing,  by  the  help  of  the  astringent  parts  of  the 
ligneous  fibres  of  the  madder  root. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


OF  YELLOW. 

HITHERTO  ten  sorts  of  drugs  have  been 
named  for  dieing  yellow,  but  by  the 
proofs  that  have  been  made  it  is  certain  there 
are  but  five  that  are  sufficiently  lasting  to  be 
used  in  the  good  die.  Several  more  might  be 
added  to  these  five,  as  yellows  are  easily  ob- 
tained.   I  shall  therefore  first  speak  of  these 


five,  which  are  the  weld  or  wold,  savory,  green 
vv(?od,  the  yellow  wood,  and  the  fenugreek,  be- 
cause these  only  are  of  the  good  die.  The 
three  first  are  very  common  plants  in  Europe, 
the  yellow  wood  comes  from  the  Indies,  and 
fenugreek  is  found  every  where.  Weld  is  most 
commonly  used,  as  it  gives  the  brightest  die. 
The  savory  and  the  green  wood  are  best  for 
wools  that  are  to  be  made  greens,  because 
their  natural  colour  borders  a  little  on  the 
green  j  the  two  others  give  shades  of  yellow 
somewhat  different. 

The  yellows  most  known  in  the  art  of  dic- 
ing are  the  straw  yellow,  the  pale  yellow,  and 
the  lemon  yellow.  The  orange  yellows  com- 
monly made  are  not  simple  colours,  therefore 
1  shall  not  speak  of  them  here. 

For  dicing  yellow,  the  common  preparing 
water  with  tartar  and  alum  is  used  for  wool  or 
stuffs,  in  the  proportion  of  four  ounces  of  alum 
for  rach  pound  of  wool,  or  twenty-five  pounds 
for  the  hundred,  and  one  ounce  of  tartar,  and 
the  method  of  boiling  is  the  same  as  before. 
For  welding,  after  the  wool  or  stuff  is  boiL^d, 
put  five  or  six  pounds  of  v^eld  in  a  fresh  liquor 
for  each  pound  of  stuff ;  let  the  weld  be  in- 
closed in  a  linen  bag,  that  it  may  not  mix  with 
the  stuff,  and  that  the  bag  may  not  rise  to  the 
top  of  the  copper,  it  must  be  kept  down  with 
a  heavy  cross  of  wood.  Others  boil  the  weld 
till  it  has  furnished  all  it3  die,  and  sinks  itself 
to  the  bottom  of  the  copper,  at  v;hich  time 
they  place  on  it  a  cross  or  iron  circle  fitted  v/ith 


173 


a  net  of  cords.  Others  take  it  out  with  a  raRe 
when  it  is  sufficiently  boiled:  sometimes  ytllow 
wood  and  other  ingredients  are  mixed  with  the 
weld,  according  to  the  shade  required,  by  al- 
tering the  quantities  and  the  proportions  of  the 
salts  in  the  preparation,  and  the  time  of  boiling, 
I  know  by  experience,  that  these  shades  may 
be  obtained  ad  infinitum.  This  proof  I  have 
had  in  the  (^ssays  I  made  with  the  flower  of  the 
virga,  a  very  great  acquisition  in  the  art  of  die- 
ing,  if  this  plant  v^a:s  improved,  which  may  be 
easily  done,  since  it  shoots  a  great  many  stems, 
and  whose  small  ones  may  be  easily  transplant- 
ed, and  produce  quantities  in  the  course  of  one 
year. 

Light  shades  of  yellow  are  obtained  in  the 
same  manner  as  all  others  spoken  of,  only  the 
preparing  liquor  for  these  light  yellows  must  be 
weaker.  I  recommend  twelve  pounds  and  a 
half  of  alum  for  each  hundred  pounds  of  wool, 
and  the  tartar  in  proportion ;  but  these  light 
shades  do  not  resisr  the  proofs  as  deeper  shades* 
do,  made  wich  the  full  proportion  of  tartar. 

Some  diers  endeavouring  to  help  this,  leave 
the  wool  and  stuffs  for  a  longer  time  in  the  die, 
because  they  take  it  slower  in  proportion  to  the 
weakness  of  the  liquor;  but  if  they  put  at  the 
same  time  in  the  colouring  liquor,  wools  whose 
preparation  shall  have  been  different,  they  shall 
take  at  the  same  time  different  shades.  These 
liquors  more  or  less  strong  are  called  half-pre- 
paring  liquors,  or  quarter-preparing  liquors, 
and  they  make  great  use  of  them  in  light  shades 


173 


of  wool  died  in  the  fleece,  that  is,  before  being, 
spun,  and  which  are  intended  for  the  manufac- 
turing of  cloths  and  other  mixed  stuffs  ^  be- 
cause the  more  alum  there  is  in  the  liquor  of 
the  wool,  the  more  it  is  harsh  and  difficult  to 
spin,  and  it  must  spin  thicker,  and  consequent- 
ly the  stuff  is  coarser.  This  observation  is  not 
of  great  consequence  for  spun  wool  which  is 
intended  for  tapestry  or  for  stofi^s.  I  only  men- 
tion it  to  shew  that  the  quantity  of  ingredients 
may  be  sometimes  varied  without  danger. 

The  yellow  wood  is  used  in  chips,  or  in 
coarse  shavings;  by  this  means  it  is  more  divi- 
ded, and  yields  its  die  the  better,  and  a  less 
quantity  will  do;  which  way  soever  it  is  used,, 
it  is  put  into  a  bag,  that  it  may  not  mix  with 
the  wool  or  stufi^s.  The  same  precaution  is  ne- 
cessary  for  the  savory  and  green  wood,  Vv^hea 
they  are  iPjixed  with  the  weld  to  change  its 
shade. 

I  refer  to  the  lesser  die  the  five  other  ingre- 
dients hitherto  known  which  die  yellov/,*' and 
shall  only  observe  here  in  regard  to  the  good, 
die,  that  the  root  of  the  dock,  the  bark  of  the 
ash- tree,  particularly  that  which  is  raised  after 
the  first  sap,  the  leaves  of  almond,  peach  and 
pear-trees ;  in  short,  all  leaves,  barks,  and  roots, 
which  by  chewing  shew  some  little  astriftion, 
give  yellows  of  the  good  die  more  or  less  fine, 
according  to  the  time  they  are  boiled,  and  in 
proportion  to  the  tartar  and  alum  used  in  the 
liquor :  a  proper  quantity  of  alum  brings  these 
yellows  to  the  beautiful  yellow  of  the  weld.  If 

P  2 


174 


the  tartar  is  in  greater  quantity,  these  yellows 
will  border  on  the  orange;  and  lastly,  if  these 
ingredients  are  too  much  boiled,  let  them  be 
roots,  barks,  or  leaves,  the  yellow  obscures  it- 
self, and  takes  brown  shades. 

Although  some  diers  use  turmeric  in  the  good 
die^  v.'hich  gives  an  orange  yellow,  this  prac- 
tice is  to  be  condemned^  for  it  is  a  colour  that 
soon  passes  in  the  air,  unless  it  be  secured  by 
sea-salt,  which  some  diers  do,  who  take  care 
to  keep  this  imposition  to  themselves.  Those 
who  make  use  of  it  in  common  scarlets,  to 
spare  cochineal,  and  to  give  to  their  stuff  a  red 
bordering  on  the  orange,  are  blameable,  for  the 
scarlets  that  have  been  died  after  this  manner 
lose  in  a  short  time  that  bright  orange,  as  I  have 
already  said,  they  brown  considerably  in  the 
air.  Yet  these  falsifications  are  obliged  to  be 
in  some  measure  tolerated  ;  for  at  this  time  that 
bright  orange  being  in  fashion,  it  would  be 
impossible  to  give  it  to  scarlet,  without  putting 
a  larger  dose  of  composition,  whose  acids  would 
greatly  hurt  the  cloth.  The  fustic  wood  is  now 
preferred  in  scarlet. 


'7S 


CHAPTER  XVL 


OF  BROWN. 

BROWN  is  the  fourth  of  the  primary  co- 
lours. Ic  is  placed  in  this  rank,  because 
it  enters  in  the  composition  of  a  great  number 
of  colours.  The  working  It  is  different  from 
others,  for  commonly  no  preparation  is  given 
to  wool  to  be  died  brown,  and,  like  the  blue, 
ic  is  only  dipped  in  hot  water. 

The  rinds  and  roots  of  walnut,  the  rind  of 
the  alder,  santal,  sumach,  roudoul  or  sovic, 
soor,  &c.  are  used  in  this  die. 

The  rind  of  the  walnut  is  the  green  part  that 
covei  s  the  nut ;  they  are  gathered  when  the  nuts 
are  entirely  ripe,  then  filled  into  great  casks 
and  moistened  with  water;  they  are  thus  pre- 
served until  the  ensuing  year,  and  longer  if  re- 
quired. 

The  santal  or  saunders  is  a  hard  wood  brought 
from  the  Indies;  it  is  commonly  used  ground 
to  a  very  fine  powder,  it  is  preserved  for  some 
time  in  this  state  in  bags,  to  excite  (as  is  ima- 
gined) a  slight  fermentation,  which  they  pretend 
makes  it  the  better  for  use,  but  I  could  find  no 
difference. 


This  wood  !s  most  conimonly  ground  wltli 
a  thirci  part  of  cariarour  wood,  which  softens  it 
according  to  those  who  sell  it.  It  is  greatly  in- 
ferior to  walnut  nnds,  for  it  hurts  the  wool  by 
hardening  it  considerably  if  used  in  large  quan- 
tities, therefore  it  is  better  not  to  use  it  for  fine 
wools  and  stuffs,  or  at  least  to  draw  but  the 
lightest  shades,  for  then  its  efFe£l  will  be  of  less 
consequence.  It  is  generally  mixed  with  galls, 
alder,  bark,  and  sumach  ;  it  is  only  by  this 
means  that  it  gives  its  colour  when  used  alone, 
and  unmixed  with  the  cariatour  wood.  It  yields 
but  very  little  with  the  liquor  of  alum  and  tar- 
tar unless  it  be  rasped.  Notwithstanding  this 
defedl,  it  is  tolerated  in  the  good  die,  on  ac- 
count of  the  solidity  of  its  colour,  which  natu- 
rally is  a  yellow-red-brown:  it  browns  and 
grows  deep  in  the  air,  it  lightens  with  soap,  but 
looses  less  by  the  proof  of  alum,  and  still  less 
by  that  of  tartar. 

Of  all  the  ingredients  used  for  the  brown  die, 
the  walnut  rind  is  the  best;  its  shades  are  finer, 
its  colour  is  lasting,  it  softens  the  wool,  renders 
it  of  a  better  quality,  and  easier  to  v;ork.  To 
make  use  of  this  rind,  a  copper  is  half  filled, 
and  when  it  begins  to  grow  luke-warm,  the 
rind  is  added  in  proportion  to  the  quantities  of 
stuflfs  to  be  died  and  the  colour  intended.  The 
copper  is  then  made  to  boil,  and  when  it  has 
boiled  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  the  stuffs,  which 
were  before  dipped  in  warm  water,  are  put  in. 
They  are  to  be  stirred  and  turned  until  they 
'acquire  the  desired  colour.   If  it  is  spun  wool, 


177 


and  that  the  shades  required  are  to  be  matched 
with  great  exactness,  a  small  quantity  of  rind 
is  to  be  put  in  first,  and  the  lightest  are  first 
made;  more  rind  is  then  put  in,  and  then  the 
deepest  are  made  :  but  to  work  with  stuffs,  the 
deepest  are  generally  made  first,  and  as  the  co- 
lour of  the  liquor  diminishes,  the  lightest  are 
dipped;  they  are  aired  as  usual  to  cool  them, 
dried,  and  dressed. 

Next  to  the  walnut  rind  is  the  root;  it  gives 
a  great  number  of  shades  and  pretty  near  the 
same;  thus  they  may  be  substituted  the  one  fof 
the  other,  according  to  the  facility  of  obtaining 
them,  but  there  is  a  difference  in  the  manner  of 
using  the  root.  A  copper  is  filled  three-quar- 
ters full  of  river  water;  the  quantity  of  root 
that  is  thought  convenient  is  cut  into  small  pie- 
ces, and  added  in  proportion  to  the  quantity  of 
wool  to  be  died  and  the  shade  required. 

When  the  liquor  is  hot,  so  as  not  to  bear  the 
hand,  the  stuffs  are  put  in  and  turned,  until 
they  have  the  desired  shade,  carefiilly  observing 
to  air  them  from  time  to  lirne,  and  to  pass  them 
between  the  hands  by  the  lists,  to  make  the 
small  pieces  of  roots  that  stick  fall  off  to  pre- 
vent their  blotting  ;  but  this  miay  be  remedied 
by  inclosing  the  cut  root  in  a  bag,  as  has  been 
said  of  the  yellow  root.  The  stuffs  that  are 
to  be  of  lighter  shades  are  then  to  be  dipped, 
and  to  be  thus  continued  until  the  root  gives 
no  more  die.  If  it  is  spun  v/ool  c  hrest 
are  to  be  made  first  to  match  li  :  )>  :rer, 
as  I  have  already  said  in  speaking  oi  otr.er  co» 


178 


lours;  but  above  all,  care  must  be  taken  not 
to  boil  the  liquor  at  first,  for  then  this  root 
would  give  ail  its  colour  to  the  first  piece  of 
stuff,  and  there  v^ould  not  remain  sufficient 
for  the  rest. 

The  nnethod  of  dicing  wool  with  roots  is  not 
very  easy,  for  if  great  care  is  not  taken  to 
bring  the  die  to  a  proper  degree  of  heat,  and 
to  stir  the  wool  and  stufi^s  so  that  they  may  be 
equally  soaked  in  the  copper,  they  run  the  ha- 
zard of  being  made  too  deep  or  of  being  blot- 
ted, which  cannot  be  remedied  but  by  giving 
them  a  chesnur,  prune,  or  coffee  colour,  as  I 
shali  show  when  I  treat  of  the  colours  and 
shades  arising  from  the  mixture  of  black  and 
•brown. 

To  avoid  this  inconvenience,  the  stuffs  must 
be  continually  turned  round  the  wynch,  and 
dipped  piece  after  piece,  and  great  care  muse 
be  taken  not  to  boil  the  roots  too  much,  but 
always  to  leave  some  dicing  substance  in  them. 
When  the  wool  or  stuffs  are  died  after  this 
method,  they  are  aired,  washed,  and  dried* 

The  method  of  treating  the  alder  bark  dif- 
fers not  from  that  of  the  walnut-root  before  de- 
scribed, except  that  there  is  less  danger  in 
boiling  it  at  the  beginning,  as  it  gives  less 
ground  of  colour  to  the  stuff.  It  is  commonly 
used  for  thread,  and  for  colours  that  are  to  be 
saddened  with  green  copperas ;  it  has  however 
a  good  effect  on  wool  for  colours  that  are  not 
very  deep,  and  it  perfectly  resists  the  action  of 
the  air  and  sun. 


179 


The  sumach  is  pretty  near  the  same;  it  is 
used  after  the  same  manner  as  the  green  shells 
or  inward  coats  of  walnuts ;  it  still  gives  less 
ground  of  colour,  and  borders  somewhat  on 
the  green  ^  it  is  often  substituted  for  galls  in 
colours  that  are  to  be  saddened,  and  it  an- 
swers perfectly  well,  but  must  be  used  in  larger 
quantities. 

These  different  matters  are  often  mixed  to- 
gether, and  as  they  are  equally  good,  and  pro- 
duce nearly  the  sam.e  effect,  they  readily  af- 
ford a  variety  of  shades;  and  yet  there  is  no- 
thing but  practice  can  teach  this  variety  of 
brown  shades,  for  they  entirely  depend  on  the 
eye  of  the  dier. 

To  use  these  ingredients  mixt,  and  ground 
Saunders  together,  put  four  pounds  of  this  lasc 
into  a  copper,  half  a  pound  of  powdered  galls, 
twelve  pounds  of  elder  bark,  and  ten  pounds  of 
sumach;  this  quantity  will  die  twenty-five  or 
twenty-seven  ells  of  cloth;  the  whole  is  boil- 
ed, and  having  slackened  the  boil  by  means  of 
a  little  cold  water,  the  cloth  is  put  in,  turned, 
and  well  stirred  for  two  hours ;  after  which  it 
is  taken  out,  aired  and  washed  ;  other  stuffs 
that  are  to  be  of  a  lighter  shade  are  then  put 
in,  and  thus  continued  as  long  as  the  liquoi  af- 
fords any  colour. 

The  quantity  of  these  ingredients  is  aug- 
mented or  diminished  in  proportion  to  the 
height  of  the  shade,  and  the  stuffs  or  wool  are 
boiled  more  or  less  accordingly.    I  have  al- 


i8o 


ready  observed  that  by  this  means  only  the  co- 
lour can  be  extracted  froin  the  saunders. 

I  have  here  treated  of  the  saunders  and  the 
manner  of  using  it,  although  it  should  have 
been  classed  with  the  lesser  dies,  as  this  woad 
ought  only  to  be  used  for  stuffs  of  low  prices, 
because  of  the  defects  before  spoken  of^  yet 
as  it  is  worked  almost  after  the  same  manner 
as  the  other  ingredients  for  dieing  brown,  and 
in  several  places  is  even  tolerated  in  the  good 
die,  as  it  resists  the  sun  and  air  as  weli  as  the 
others,  I  thought  it  would  not  be  improper 
here  to  give  the  method  of  workir^g  it;  for  the 
same  reason  I  shall  now  describe  the  method 
of  dieing  with  soor,  though  permitted  only  in 
the  lesser  die,  having  less  solidity  than  the 
rest,  besides  hardening  the  wool,  and  giving  a 
disagreeable  smell  to  the  stuffs. 

The  soot  (wood  soot)  is  commonly  put  into 
the  copper  the  same  time  as  the  water,  and  the 
whole  is  well  boiled  together ;  the  stuff  is  then 
dipt  in,  which  is  to  boil  more  or  less,  accord- 
ing to  the  shade  required;  after  which  it  is 
taken  out  and  aired,  and  those  put  in  which 
are  to  be  lighter ;  they  are  then  to  be  well 
washed  and  dried,  but  it  is  better  to  boil  the 
soot  in  the  water  for  two  hours,  then  let  it  set- 
tle, and  empty  the  liquor  into  another  copper, 
without  mixing  the  soot;  the  wool  and  stuffs 
are  put  into  this  liquor,  and  are  less  hardened 
and  dried  than  when  they  have  been  mixt  with 
the  soot  itself,  but  the  colour  is  not  solid,  and 
it  is  better  not  to  make  use  of  it  for  dieing 


i8i 

stuffs  that  bear  a  price,  and  more  so  as  all  its 
shades  may  be  had  by  the  foregoing  ingredients, 
which  are  better,  more  lasting,  and  also  soften 
the  wool. 

The  diers  of  the  lesser  die  usually  employ 
the  rinds  of  the  nut  and  the  root  of  the  wal- 
nut-tree for  their  brown  colours  ;  the  working 
of  these  two  ingredients  being  common  to 
diers  of  the  greater  and  lesser  die;  but  there 
are  places  where  it  is  difficult  to  obtain  them, 
and  then  the  saunders  and  even  soot  are  obliged 
to  be  used  in  their  stead. 

What  I  have  hitherto  said  to  account  for  the 
solidity  of  the  colours  of  the  good  die,  may 
seem  not  to  agree  with  brown  colours  spoken 
of  in  this  chapter,  since  these  are  firmly  applied 
on  the  wool  without  any  preparation  to  receive 
them  by  the  liquor  of  alum  and  tartar,  and 
consequently  without  first  introducing  into  the 
pores  of  the  fibres  a  salt  capable  of  hardening 
itself  in  the  cold,  and  to  cement  the  atoms 
that  colour  the  brov^n ;  but  if  on  a  chymi- 
cal  analysis  the  green  shell  of  walnuts,  the 
root  of  the  walnut-tree,  the  rind  of  alder, 
should  be  proved  to  contain,  besides  cheir  as- 
tringent properties,  a  vitriolated  tartar,  which 
is  a  salt  that  does  not  calcine  in  the  sun,  and 
that  is  only  dissolved  by  boiling  water;  this  I 
say  will  convince  that  these  ingredients  are 
sufficient  of  themselves  to  produce  on  the 
stuffs,  without  any  foreign  help,  the  same  ef- 
fect as  the  other  drugs,  whose  colours  are  not  i 

Q 


.set  in  with  solidity,  but  by  the  help  of  a  sale 
capable  of  cementing  the  colouring  atonns. 

The  soot  does  not  give  so  lasting  a  brown, 
because  it  only  contains  a  volatile  and  an  earthy 
salt  easily  dissolved,  and  in  fact  the  soot  being 
only  composed  of  the  lightest  and  most  vola- 
tile parts  of  combustible  bodies;  which  have 
.  served  as  food  for  the  fire,  it  could  not  raise 
tartar  of  vitriol  along  with  ir,  which  is  a  sale 
that  does  not  rise  by  heat,  and  which  is  also 
seldom  found  in  the  wood  which  we  com- 
monly burn  in  our  chimnies. 

As  I  am  not  willing  to  omit  any  thing  with- 
in the  limits  of  my  knowledge,  on  the  article 
of  woollen  dicing,  I  shall  give  two  or  three 
hints  on  the  acid  of  vitriol. 

Jf  you  would  have  a  beautiful  claret  on  wool^ 
stuffs,  or  cloth,  boil  in  a  copper  of  a  good  size^ 
redwood  or  saunders  in  proportion  to  the  shade 
you  want,  and  two  pounds  of  logwood,  for 
forty  pounds  of  wool  previously  scoured. 
When  the  ingredients  have  boiled  half  an  hour, 
put  a  pint  of  oil  of  vitriol  into  a  pail  of  cold 
water,  and  add  it  to  the  liquor,  when  the  wool 
must  be  put  in,  and  gently  boiled  for  two  or 
three  hours.  It  is  then  to  be  taken  up  on  a 
scray,  that  is,  set  across  the  copper  to  drain, 
and  five  or  six  pails  of  water  poured  over  it. 
The  copper  must  be  then  run  down  and  filled 
as  before  with  fair  water,  and  when  it  is  hot, 
ten  pounds  of  copperas  and  four  ounces  of 
pearl-ashes  must  be  added,  and  the  wool  re* 


1^3^ 

tOrned  and  well  worked  with  a  long  pole  to 
make  it  even. 

The  ashes  (which  are  a  fixed  alkali)  act  upon 
the  logwood,  and  give  it  a  fine  lustre  at  the 
same  time.  It  weakens' the  acid  of  the  vitriol, 
a^id  makes  way  for  the  copperas  to  do  its  parr,, 
which  would  otherwise  be  kept  at  a  distance; 
the  vitriol  does  not  obstruct  the  cloth  in  the 
fulling-mill,  for  the  vitriol,  which  some  sup- 
pose to  be  a  great  enemy  in  the  mill,  is  divested 
of  its  acid  by  the  strong  alkali  contained  in  the 
chamber  ley  in  scouring,  and  the  colour  remains- 
p'-rfcctly  vivid.  If  for  forty  pounds  of  W00I3 
&c,  ten  pounds  of  nut-galls  were  bruised  and 
boiled  with  the  above  ingredients,  the  acid 
therein  contained  would  produce  as  brilliant  a 
col  )ur,  and,  if  possible,  more  holding  than  the 
fortner;  but  if  galls  are  used^  the  same  liquor 
will  do  the  same  business  when  the  copperas  is 
ad  vied  without  ashes  as  a  fresh  water  would 
wnen  vitriol  is  used*  If  forty  pounds  of  cloth, 
stuff,  or  v/orsted  were  boiled  in  a  sufficient 
quantity  of  redwood  or  Saunders,  and  one  pint 
of  prepared  aquafortis  be  added  to  the  liquor 
after  the  goods  have  boiled  an  hour  and  a  half, 
and  then  turned  well  for  half  an  hour,  the  co- 
lour v/ill  be  vivid  and  fine;  the  copper  muse 
be  well  cooled  when  the  spirits  are  put  in. 

When  cloth  or  stufl^s  are  died  claret  with  oil 
of  vitriol,  great  care  must  be  taken  to  turn 
them  continually  over  the  wynch,  and  particu- 
larly in  taking  out,  observe  the  instant  the 
last  end  comes  up  to  take  off  into  a  large  tub^ 


184 


pf  cold  water,  that  all  parts  may  cool  alike,  or 
the  colour  will  be  very  uneven,  as  the  vitriol 
when  hot  will  not  bear  the  air. 

Oil  of  vitriol  is  so  useful  a  thing  in  dieing, 
that  any  colour,  save  woaded  blue  or  green, 
may,  by  the  help  of  its  acid,  be  brought  to  a 
fine  claret,  black  not  excepted. 


CHAPTER  XVIL 


OF  BLACK. 

BLACK  is  the  fifth  of  the  primary  colours. 
To  die  the  best  and  the  most  lively  shade, 
a  vessel  sufficiently  large  must  be  filled  with 
soft  water,  and  for  every  hundred  weight  of 
cloth,  thirty  pounds  of  logwood  in  chips  must 
be  put  in,  with  half  a  pail  of  elder  bark  and 
six  pounds  of  suinach  j  boil  these  ingredients 
together  half  an  hour,  when  the  cloth  may  be 
entered  (the  copper  being  first  cookd  by  the 
addition  of  cold  water)  and  boiled  an  hour  and 
a  half,  being  instantly  turned  on  the  wynch  to 
prevent  an  unevenness  of  die.  This  operation 
being  ended,  which  is  called  a  preparation  or 
stuffing  the  blacks,  I  shall  proceed  to  the  finish- 
ing. 

A  small  tub  is  to  be  placed  at  the  side  of  the 
copper,  out  of  which  it  must  be  filled  with  hot 


i85 

liquor,  in  which  put  ten  or  fourteen  pounds  of 
copperas  to  dissolve  s  the  cloth  is  then  kept 
turning,  whilst  a  man  with  a  piggin  is  lading 
the  copperas  water  into  the  copper  3  the  cloth 
is  turned  here  at  a  boiling  heat  one  hour,  then 
taken  out  and  cooled  well  in  all  parts  alike; 
when  thoroughly  cold,  return  it  into  the  cop- 
per, with  two  handfuls  of  copperas,  and  boil  it 
gently  as  before  for  two  hours,  then  cool  it  a- 
gain. 

Whilst  the  second  cooling  is  carrying  on^ 
six  pounds  of  logwood,  ten  pounds  of  bark, 
and  two  pounds  of  argil,  with  ten  pounds  of 
soda  or  common  ashes,  and  three  pounds  of 
copperas,  must  be  added  to  the  liquor;  these 
ingredients  must  be  made  to  boil  one  hourj 
when  the  goods  must  be  turned  and  worked 
one  hour.  Keep  the  wynch  continually  turn- 
ing, always  observing  that  the  small  portion  of 
air  which  the  goods  receive  by  turning  on  the 
wynch,  contributes  much  to  the  beauty  of  the 
colour.  Some  diers  instead  of  ashes  use  cham« 
ber  ley,  but  this  is  a  bad  custom.  If  they  would 
become  good  black  diers^  they  must  abandon 
their  old  praflice,  and  by  mixing  their  natural 
genius  with  reason  and  good  sense,  they  will 
soon  find  by  experience,  that  the  acid  of  the 
argil  a61:s  only  on  the  vitriolic  acid  of  the  cop* 
peras,  and  prevents  a  brown  or  rusty  hue  that 
will  unavoidably  proceed  from  the  logwood  5 
the  alkaline  power  of  the  ashes  at  the  same  time 
forces  it  to  assume  its  natural  violet  colour^ 
that  if  too  great  a  quantity  of  logwood  is  not 


i86 


used,  (which  would  certainly  prejudice  the  co- 
lour) and  this  rule  carefully  observed,  the  black 
would  resemble  a  raven's  feather;  they  must 
be  well  washed  at  the  fulling-mill. 

I  shil!  not  enrertain  the  reader  with  a  tedious 
recital  of  the  manner  of  treating  those  goods 
whose  superior  quality  renders  it  needful  that 
they  should  previously  be  died  blue.  It  is  suf- 
ficient to  know,  that  they  must  have  a  less  pro- 
portion of  ingredients,  though  the  operation  is 
the  same  as  that  of  the  common  black. 

When  fine  cloth  is  to  be  died  black,  great 
care  must  be  taken  not  to  let  it  hang  on  the 
wynch  one  minute  ;  it  must  be  thrown  off^  that 
instant  the  last  comes  up;  otherwise  its  own 
weight  when  wet  and  hot  vyould  fill  it  with 
wrinkles  that  would  never  rem.ove.  The  same 
caution  must  be  taken  when  the  cloth  is  on  the 
floor,  to  draw  it  between  two  men  over  a  long 
stick  by  the  lists,  each  taking  hold  of  one  end 
with  their  left  hand,  to  be  continued  till  cold 
before  it  be  returned. 

Remarks  on  the  Black  Die. 

The  most  essential  thing  to  be  remarked  is, 
that  it  prejudices  and  weakens  the  goods ;  for  this 
reason  those  that  are  died  black  are  soonest  worn 
out;  they  are  however  in  all  other  respefts  equal 
to  those  that  are  died  other  colours.  This  de- 
fe6l  is  chiefly  to  be  attributed  to  the  vitriolic 
acid  of  the  copperas,  which  is  only  imperfectly 
saturated  by  the  iron;  as  iron  united  to  any  o- 


ther  acid,  and  even  to  vegetable  acids,  is  capa- 
ble of  producing  black  with  astringent  vcgi  ra- 
bies. There  is  great  cause  to  think  that  by 
substituting  other  coiTibinarions  of  this  metal 
for  the  copperas,  this  inconvenience  might  be 
remedied. 

These  are  certainly  good  and  useful  essays  to 
attempt.  Itis  not  without  cause  that  the  blacks 
are  diredted  to  be  aired  between  the  dippings, 
as  It  infinitely  contributes  to  the  beauty  of  the 
die;  for  it  is  certain  that  this  die  is  different 
from  most  others  which  lose  of  their  colour  in 
drying ;  this,  on  the  contrary,  acquires  a  great 
deal;  it  is  universally  known,  that  good  wri- 
ting ink  does  not  appear  any  thing  near  so 
black  when  fresh  and  recently  used,  as  when 
dry,  and  that  even  it  grows  more  black  during 
a  certain  space  of  time.  The  same  happens  to 
the  black  die.  The  cloth  is  in  some  measure 
of  a  grey  blackish  colour  immediately  after  the 
first  dip;  it  only  acquires  the  beautiful  black  on 
being  exposed  to  the  air;  this  is  not  the  only 
example  of  the  influence  of  the  air  on  colours^ 
the  blue  vat  exhibits  something  like  it* 


CHAPTER  XVTII. 

OF  THE  MIXTURE  OF  BLUE  AND  RED» 

IN  speaking  of  the  red  I  observed  that  there 
were  four  different  kinds  in  the  good  die. 
V/e  shall  now  explain  the  effect  of  these  differ- 


ent  reds  placed  on  a  stuff  that  has  beea  previ- 
ously died  bluf.  If  a  blue  stuff  is  boiled  in 
alum  and  tartar,  after  the  manner  and  propor- 
tion cauglu  in  the  article  of  red,  and  which  is 
af:erv/ards  to  be  died  with  kermes,  the  follow- 
ing colours  will  result,  viz.  The  king's  colour, 
the  prince's  colour,  the  pansy,  the  violet,  the 
purple,  and  several  other  like  colours;  but  the 
kermes  is  seldom,  used  for  these  colours,  on  ac- 
count of  its  high  price,  and  the  quantity  which 
would  be  required,  but  more  so,  because  co- 
chineal yields  a  finer  colour  for  this  purpose, 
and  Vi^ith  greater  ease.  I  have  already  obser- 
ed  that  kermes  is  seldom  used,  though  there 
are  several  compound  colours  in  which  it  pro- 
duces a  very  good  effect,  as  will  be  more  par- 
ticularly described. 

When  the  kermes  is  used  to  lay  a  red  on 
blue,  ic  is  indifferent  what  ground  of  blue  is 
first  given,  or  whether  it  be  given  before  or  af- 
ter the  stuff  is  died  red,  because  the  colour  of 
the  kermes  is  too  solid  to  be  changed  by  the 
lime  of  the  woad  vat,  (unless  the  vat  be  over- 
loaded) or  by  the  pearl-ashes  in  the  indigo. 
Thus  if  the  woad  vat  is  not  too  old,  it  may  be 
begun  by  either  of  these  two  colours  at  plea- 
sure, or  by  that  which  is  most  convenient  to 
match  the  shade.  Although  I  named  but  a 
Si  nail  number  of  colours,  a  great  many  may- 
be drawn  from  these  two  principal  ones,  ac- 
cording as  the  one  or  the  other  may  be  more 
predominant. 


189 


The  mixture  of  blue  with  fire- colour  scarlet  is 
never  used  in  any  of  their  shades.  To  con- 
vince myself  by  experience,  I  took  a  piece  of 
cloch  died  in  scarier,  and  dipt  it  in  the  blue 
vat,  and  died  a  second  piece  according  to  the 
method  of  dicing  scarlet,  having  previously 
died  it  blue.  The  one  and  the  other  succeeded 
very  badly,  and  made  a  kind  of  dull  spotted 
violet,  so  it  appeared  that  the  two  colours  did 
not  unite,  but  that  they  were  laid  each  on  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  wool.  This  no  doubt  is 
caused  by  the  acids  which  enter  the  composi- 
tion of  the  scarlet.  But  without  entering  here 
upon  the  physical  reason  of  this  operation, 
which  mi^>ht  occasion  too  long-  a  disstrrtation, 
and  tedious  repetition  of  what  I  have  already 
said,  the  fact  appears  sufficient  here  :  it  proves 
that  no  beautiful  colour  can  be  had  from  the 
mixture  of  blue  and  scarlet ;  it  must  be  crim- 
son. 

From  the  mixture  of  blue  and  crimson,  the 
columbine,  the  purple,  the  amaranth,  the 
pansy,  and  the  violet  are  formed  ;  these  co-. 
lours  have  also  a  great  number  of  shades  which 
depend  upon  the  shades  of  the  other  colour, 
from  whence  they  are  derived. 

I  have  said  so  much  on  the  primary  colours, 
that  no  difficulty  can  remain  in  the  execution 
of  the  compound  colours. 

Scuffs  or  spun  wool  are  first  made  of  one  co* 
Jour,  and  then  died  of  the  other,  precisely  as 
if  it  was  white;  but  it  must  be  observed  in 
•this  case,  that"  the  stuff'  be  first  died  blue  be- 


I90' 

/ore  it  is  made  into  crimson,  for  the  reason  be- 
fore given,  that  the  alkali  of  the  one  or  the 
other  vat  greatly  obscures  the  brightness  of  the 
red  of  the  cochineal. 

To  make  violets,  purples,  and  other  like 
shades,  what  I  have  already  said  on  crimson 
is  to  be  followed,  because  these  colours  will 
have  neither  brightness  nor  lustre,  but  by  fol- 
lowing, the  precautions  necessary  for  fine  crim- 
sons. 

From  blue,  and  the  red  of  madder,  proceeds 
also  the  king's  colour,  the  prince's  colour,  (but 
infinitely  less  beautiful  than  when  the  kermes 
is  made  use  of ;  for  the  red  of  the  madder  is- 
always  obscured  by  the  brown  of  its  ligneous 
parts)  the  minime,  the  tan-colour,  the  ama- 
ranth, the  dry  rose,  always  less  bright  than 
v/hen  the  kermes  is  made  use  of.  Neverthe- 
less it  is  sometimes  mixed  with  madder,  as  I 
have  already  said,  to  make  half-grained  scar- 
lets, and  the  colours  which  proceed  from  it  are 
always  finer  than  when  madder  alone  is  used  on 
a  stuff  died  blue;  madder  is  also  mixec]  with 
cochineal,  as  in  the  half  crimsoms,  and  a  great 
num/oer  of  very  fine  shades  are  drawn  from 
them,  which  cannot  have  particular  names,  but 
which  border  on  those  I  have  just  mentioned. 
Some  of  these  may  be  made  as  fine  as  if  dearer 
ingredients  were  made  use  of.  It  is  the  business 
and  profit  of  the  dier  not  to  use  the  dearest, 
when  the  same  effects  may  be  produced  by  the 
chrapest  ingrec'ients.  It  is  impossible  for  me 
to  give  any  insciuctions  on  this  article,  since 


■  1:9  ^ 

use  alone  can  teach  it.  The  old  liquor  of 
madder  and  cochineal  is  often  used,  whose  co- 
lours have  not  been  entirely  extracted,  which 
makes  a  considerable  saving,  and  the  colour  is 
not  less  good.  I  can  say  nothing  positive  on 
this,  since  the  effect  which  will  result  from  it 
depends  on  what  colour  may  remain  in  the  Ji- 
quor,  and  on  the  shade  intended. 


CHAPTER  XIX\ 


OF   THE   MIXTURE   OF   BLUE  AND  YELLOW^ 

FROM  the  mixture  of  blue  and  yellow  but 
one  colour  is  produced,  which  is  green ; 
but  there  are  a  variety  of  shades;  the  principal 
ones  are,  the  yellow  gree:i,  the  light  green,  the 
gay  green,  the  grass  green,  the  laurel  green, 
the  molequin  green,  the  deep  green,  the  sea 
green,  the  celadon  green,  the  parrot  green,  the 
cabbage  green,  and  I  shall  add,  the  duck  wing 
green,  and  the  celadon  green  without  blue. 
AH  these  shades,  and  the  intermediate  ones, 
are  made  after  the  same  manner  and  with  the 
same  ease.  The  stuff  or  wool  died  blue,  light 
or  dark,  is  boiled  in  alum  and  tartar,  as  is 
usually  done  to  make  a  white  stuff  yellow, 
and  then  wth  weld,  savory,  or  greening  wool. 


192 


All  these  ingredients  are  equally  good  as  to  so- 
lidity, but  as  their  yellows  di{Ter  a  little,  so  do 
the  greens  that  arise  from  their  mixture.  The 
weld  and  the  savory  are  the  two  plants  that  af- 
ford the  finest  greens. 

To  make  the  green  shades  which  border  on 
the  yellow,  the  stuff  must  be  of  a  very  light 
blue,  and  boiled  with  the  common  quantity  of 
tartar  and  alum  to  receive  the  yellow  ;  for  with- 
out these  salts  it  would  not  be  lasting,  (but  for 
a  parrot  or  cabbage  green  the  blue  must  be  very 
deep)  and  as  it  is  only  to  have  a  light  yellow, 
the  stuffs  must  have  but  a  half  preparation; 
I  have  already  mentioned  this ;  sometimes  even 
a  quane^r  of  the  water  for  the  common  prepa- 
ration  is  sufficient. 

When  the  workmen  make  these  colours, 
they  often  use  the  salts  without  weighing  them, 
and  guess  at  the  quantity  which  they  think  ne- 
cessary for  the  shade  intended  ;  a  long  practice 
may  in  some  measure  m.ake  them  pretty  exact, 
but  it  would  be  still  better  if  they  did  not  trust 
to  it. 

I  know  by  repeated  experiments  that  these 
green-blue  shades  are  as  well  made  by  giving 
the  stuff  the  com.mon  preparation.  The  yellow 
which  is  afterwards  applied  to  it  is  the  more 
lasting,  but  on  this  occasion  less  weld  is  to  be 
put  into  the  liquor  of  the  die,  or  any  other  co- 
louring matter,  and  the  stuff  must  remain  less 
time  in  the  liquor,  notwithstanding  two  reasons 
-induced  to  the  contrary  ;  the  first  and  most  in- 
teresting to  the  dier  is,  that  they  would  consume 


^93 


a  greater  quantity  of  drugs  than  is  necessary  ; 
and  the  second,  that  the  less  alum  used  in  the 
preparation,  the  more  the  softness  and  the  qua- 
lity of  the  wool  is  preserved,  and  the  less  the 
first  die  of  blue  is  damaged  ;  for  the  alum  al- 
ways greys  the  blues  a  little.  Thus  it  is  better 
to  leave  the  dier  to  his  custom  of  regulating 
the  strength  of  his  preparation  to  the  necessary 
pitch  to  give  these  colours. 

I  have  said  that  to  die  green  it  was  necessary 
that  the  wool  should  be  previously  blue;  be- 
cause I  think  that  the  two  colours  laid  on  in 
this  order  hold  better,  and  that  the  colour  would 
not  be  so  good  if  otherwise  done.  Of  this  I 
assure  myself  by  making  the  greens,  of  which 
I  have  spoken,  with  the  five  colouring  matters 
already  known,  which  make  a  yellow  of  the 
good  die;  I  have  tried  a  yellow  of  the  same 
materials,  the  contrary,  having  dipped  five  yel- 
low pieces  in  the  woad  vat,  and  have  had  as 
fine  greens  as  the  first.  I  exposed  both  to  the 
summer's  sun,  and  they  have  resisted  sufficient- 
ly to  be  esteemed  of  the  good  die;  but  those 
which  bad  received  the  blue  before  the  yellow 
lost  the  least,  so  that  in  particular  circumstan- 
ces the  dier  must  be  allowed  to  begin  first  with 
yellow.  But  greens  which  have  the  blue  co- 
lour last,  will  sully  the  linen  more  than  the  o- 
thers  ;  for  if  the  blue  has  been  first  died,  all 
that  could  be  taken  off  was  done  by  the  alunrx 
liquor,  which  happens  on  the  contrary  when  the 
blue  was  put  on  last;  the  only  remedv  for  this 

R 


194 

is,  to  scour  the  green  well  afcer  it  comes  out  of 
the  copper. 

Cloth  died  king's  blue,  and  greened  with  the 
flower  of  the  virga  aurea  Canadiensis^  make  a 
very  fine  green,  provided  it  has  been  boiled  in 
a  liquor  with  three  times  the  weight  of  alum  to 
one  of  white  tartar  3  the  green  is  not  inferior  to 
that  made  of  weld. 

I  have  also  greened  blues  with  ash-bark  pow- 
dered \  they  are  of  a  very  good  die,  but  not  of 
a  fine  colour,  and  only  fit  for  liveries.  The 
leaves  of  almond,  peach  and  pear  trees,  &c. 
give  yellows,  which  serve  to  make  green  shades, 
that  are  rather  difficult  to  hit  on  at  first. 

A  stuff  died  in  the  king's  blue,  well  scoured, 
then  boiled  with  four  parts  of  alum,  and  one  of 
tartar,  takes  a  fine  deep  green  of  the  shade  of 
a  duck's  wing  ;  but  it  must  be  boiled  for  two 
hours  in  a  liquor,  with  a  sufficient  quantity  of 
the  root  of  sharp  pointed  dock  grossly  bruised. 

This  root,  which  grows  in  every  hedge  and 
field,  is  a  good  acquisition  to  the  art  of  dieingj 
for  with  it,  and  without  any  other  addition  but 
the  preparing  liquor  for  the  stuffs,  it  produ- 
ces an  infinity  of  shades,  from  the  straw  co- 
lour to  a  pretty  fine  olive  ;  only  putting  more 
or  less  to  the  liquor,  and  boiling  it  from  half 
an  hour  to  three  hours.  These  shades  stand  all 
manner  of  proof  I  strongly  recommend  the 
cultivation  of  this  dock  in  damp  places,  for  its 
use  in  dieing. 

The  celadon  green  (a  particular  coloui )  is 
much  admired  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  Medi- 


195 


terranean,  and  may  in  strift  business  be  made 
in  the  good  die,  by  giving  a  blue  ground  to 
the  scuff.  But  this  shade  of  blue  must  be  so 
weak,  that  it  is  only  a  milk  and  water  colour, 
which  is  very  difficult  to  give  smooth  and  equah 
When  this  shade  has  been  happily  hit,  it  is  ea- 
sier to  give  the  yellow  die  that  suits  it,  with  the 
virga  aiirea  than  with  the  weld.  The  virga 
aurea  is  not  known  to  the  diers  of  ILanguedoc, 
who  make  most  of  these  kind  of  colours,  and 
as  the  necessary  blue  shades  are  difficult  to  die, 
they  are  sometimes  permitted  to  die  celadons 
with  verdigrise,  although  this  colour  be  in  the 
rank  of  the  lesser  die. 

The  Dutch  make  this  colour  perfeflly,  and 
render  it  more  lasting  than  it  commonly  is  with 
the  verdigrise.    Here  follows  their  method. 

Two  coppers  are  set  a  little  distance  the  one 
from  the  other.  In  the  first  is  put  for  two  pie- 
ces of  cloth  of  forty-five  or  fifty  ells  long,  eight 
or  ten  pounds  of  white  soap  cut  small  and  per- 
fedlly  melted.  When  the  liquor  is  ready  to 
boil,  the  cloths  are  dipped  in,  and  boil  for  half 
an  hour.  Another  liquor  is  prepared  in  the 
next  copper,  and  when  it  is  scalding  hot  a  cloth 
bag  is  put  in  containing  eight  or  ten  pounds  of 
Cyprus  or  blue  vitriol,  and  ten  or  twelve  pounds 
'of  lime,  both  powdered  and  well  mixts  this 
mixture  must  be  as  equal  as  possible.  The 
bag  is  moved  about  in  the  hot  water,  but  not 
boiling,  till  all  the  blue  vitriol  is  dissolved  in 
the  liquor  i  then  a  wynch  is  put  up,  surround- 
ed by  a  clean  linen  cloth,  and  well  fastened  on^ 


oae  end  of  the  two  cloths  is  put  on  the  wynch, 
which  is  turned  swiftly  that  the  cloths  may 
quickly  pass  through  the  soap  liquor  to  that  of 
the  vitriol  ^  then  the  wynch  is  worked  more 
gently,  that  the  cloth  may  have  time  to  charge 
itself  with  the  parts  of  copper,  which  the  lime 
has  scattered  in  the  liquor,  by  separating  and 
precipitating  them  from  the  vitriol  v^^hich  con- 
tained them.  The  cloths  are  left  in  this  liquor, 
which  must  not  boil  until  they  have  taken  the 
shade  of  the  celadon  that  was  wanted  5  then  they 
are  taken  out  and  well  aired  :  they  must  be  en- 
tirely cold  before  they  are  washed,  and  must 
touch  no  wood  before  they  are,  for  the  wood 
spots  them;  for  this  reason  the  wynch  and  the 
horse  are  surrounded  with  cloth. 


CHAPTER  XX. 


OF  THE  MIXTURE  OF  BLUE  AND  BROWN. 

LITTLE  use  is  made  of  the  shade  which 
arises  from  the  mixture  of  blue  and  brown : 
these  are  greenish  greys,  or  a  kind  of  olives, 
which  are  only  fit  to  match  shades  for  tapes- 
tries; these  colours  are  easily  made  when  want- 
ed, and  it  is  equal  to  begin  by  the  blue  or  the 
brown  colour  to  the  spun  wool  ^  but  care  must 
be  taken  that  it  be  well  scoured,  as  is  done  for 


197 


the  blue  and  the  compound  colours  which  are 
finished  by  dipping  them  in  the  vat.  Any  sub- 
stance that  dies  brown  may  be  equally  made 
use  of  for  these  colours,  and  some  give  the  shade 
required  better  than  others. 


OF  THE  MIXTURE  OF  BLUE  AND  BLACK.. 

TO  particular  shade  arises  from  this  mix« 


X\j  ture,  except  by  the  mixture  of  blue  and 
grey,  (which  are  shades  of  the  black).  In  this  ^ 
case  the  blue  must  not  be  very  deep,  and  is  af- 
terwards worked  the  same  as  the  black,  except- 
ing^ that  the  colour  not  being  so  dark  less  cop- 
peras enters  in ;  but  I  repeat  again  that  this  co- 
lour ought  only  to  be  esteeined  a  shade  of  the 
black.  Thus  it  may  be  said  that  no  shades  are 
made  from  blue  and  black  used  by  themselves^ 
and  very  few  from  blue  and  brown. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


R  2 


X98 


CHAPTER  XXIL 


OF  THE  MIXTURE  OF  RED  AND  YELLOW. 

^ROM  scarlet  of  grain  or  kcrmcs  and  the 


J/  yellow  are  formed  the  aurora,  the  mari- 
gold, and  the  orange.  The  wool  is  first  boil- 
ed in  alum  and  tartar,  and  died  in  one  of  these 
colours,  and  then  dipped  in  the  second,  or  by 
mixing  in  the  same  liquor  the  kermes,  the  weld, 
the  savory,  &c.  and  so  dicing  it  at  once.  Yet 
it  is  easier  to  attain  the  exact  shades  by  dicing 
it  at  twice ;  for  this  reason,  the  wool  or  the 
stuff  may  be  alternately  passed  in  the  one  or 
other  liquor,  till  it  be  precisely  of  the  desired 
colour. 

The  lobscer  and  pomegranate  colours  are 
done  exaftly  as  scarlet  is,  that  is,  boiled  with 
cream  of  tartar,  cochineal,  and  the  composi- 
tion, after  which  they  are  taken  out,  aired,  and 
washed.  For  the  finishing,  a  fresh  liquor  is 
prepared  as  for  the  scarlet,  but  without  cochi- 
neal ;  in  its  stead,  a  little  yellow  wood  ground 
is  substituted ;  this  depends  on  the  colour  the 
stuff  is  intended  to  be  of.  The  more  it  bor- 
ders on  the  orange,  the  more  yellow  wood  is 
added,  diminishing  the  quantity  of  the  cochi- 
neal. 


h;9 

I  endeavoured  to  make  this  colour  after  three 
different  methods,  and  succeeded  in  all ;  the 
first  is  that  which  1  have  described ;  the  second 
is  by  putting  fustic  instead  of  yellow  wood,  and 
this  saves  a  great  deal  of  cochineal,  and  the 
shade  of  the  fustic  is  a  oreat  deal  more  on  the 
orange  than  the  yellow  wood,  but  these  ingre- 
dients are  not  lasting,  and  ought  not  to  be  used 
but  in  the  lesser  die.    The  method  is  with  co- 
chineal alone,  by  augmenting  the  quantity  of 
the  composition,  which  rouses  the  cochineal, 
and  turns  it  to  orange  as  much  as  is  desired  ; 
but  this  is  attended  with  very  great  inconveni- 
ence,    1st,  The  colour  b-.comes  very  expen- 
sive, because  it  requires  more  cochineal  than 
common  scarlet,  as  the  great  quantity  of  the 
composition,  which  is  an  acid,  makes  it  lose 
part  of  its  ground.    2d,  For  the  same  reason 
the  colour  always  looks  starved,  it  appears  as  if 
the  cochineal  had  been  spared,  the  composition 
having  dissolved  part  of  it.    3d,  This  large 
quantity  of  composition  hardens  the  wool,  and 
makes  it  more  liable  to  be  spotted  by  dirt  and 
sharp  liquor,  and  consequently  this  method  is 
the  worst.  I  mentioned  that  the  inconveniency 
of  the  second  was  using  the  fustic,  which  is  a 
wood  forbid  in  the  good  die^  consequently  the 
first  ought  to  have  the  preference,  if  it  give  the 
lobster  colour  as  bright  as  the  second.  But 
this  colour  made  by  the  yellow  wood  has  not  all 
the  solidity  that  might  be  desired,  as  I  have 
tried  by  exposing  it  to  the  sun ;  this  at  first  ap- 
pears extraordinary,  since  the  ingredients  used 


200 


have  all  the  solidity  possible.  But  the  reason 
why  they  are  not  so  good  in  the  present  case  is, 
that  the  cochineal  used  in  the  scarlet  composi- 
tion and  the  cream  of  tartar  are  too  solid  ^  thus 
the  lobster  colour  loses  nothing  in  the  air.  But 
the  case  is  otherwise  with  the  yellow  wood, 
though  it  be  very  lasting  on  the  wool  boiled  in 
alum  and  tartar,  especially  when  a  little  alum 
is  added  to  the  liquor  of  its  die;  it  is  not  the 
same  as  when  the  wool  or  stuff  has  received  the 
water  for  the  scarlet  preparation  in  which  no 
alum  can  enter,  and  consequently  when  these 
sort  of  colours  are  exposed  to  the  air,  they  sad- 
den in  a  short  time,  that  is,  they  lose  part  of 
their  orange  colour,  produced  by  the  mixture 
of  the  yellow  with  the  red,  and  the  efFed  of 
the  air  upon  this  colour  is  the  same,  though  it 
appears  different  from  that  on  all  others,  &c. 
that  it  commonly  turns  them  pale;  yet  this  one 
darkens  and  browns  them  by  taking  away  part 
of  its  bright  orange.  For  it  is  demonstrated 
by  several  chymical  experiments,  that  there  is 
a  vitriolic  acid  in  the  air  like  unto  that  which 
may  be  extrafted  from  alum.  Now  if  a  stuff 
died  lobster  colour  was  to  be  passed  through  a 
light  solution  of  alum,  the  acid  of  the  salt 
would  immediately  sadden  it,  and  the  red  of 
^he  cochineal  would  eclipse  the  orange  die;. the 
same  thing  must  then  happen  when  such  a  co- 
lour is  exposed  to  the  air,  which  is  impregna- 
ted with  the  same  acid. 

Very  few  shades  are  made  from  the  crimson 
and  yellow,  because  of  the  price  of  the  firsr^j 


and  that  pretty  near  the  same  shades  are  made 
with  madder  and  kermes,  yellow  and  half  scar- 
let of  grain,  as  well  as  from  the  yellow  and  half 
crimson.  It  is  with  these  different  mixtures, 
that  iriarigoW,  orange,  gold  yellow,  and  other 
like  shades  are  made,  which  are  simply  pro- 
duced by  the  mixture  of  the  yellow  and  red, 
and  sometimes  by  yellow  alone. 


CHAPTER  XXIIL 

OF  THE   MIXTURE  OF  RED   AND  BROWN. 


THE  reds  of  the  kermes  and  cochineal  are 
not  used  in  this  mixture,  for  madder  has 
as  good  an  effect  on  those  which  cannot  be- 
come bright  because  of  the  dark  obscure  co- 
lour of  the  brown,  but  after  they  are*maddered, 
they  are  dipt  in  the  old  liquors  of  cochineal  or 
kermes ;  yet  a  liquor  in  those  ingredients  is 
seldom  purposely  prepared,  being  too  dear  for 
such  common  colours  which  are  as  easily  made 
with  madder.  The  stuff  is  to  be  boiled  with  a 
quantity  of  alum  and  tartar,  proportioned  to 
the  red  shade  of  madder  intended  ;  it  is  then 
passed  through  a  liquor  of  this  root,  and  af- 
terwards dipped  and  worked  in  a  liquor  of 
walnut  roots  or  walnut  rinds  s  the  following 


202 


colours  will  be  produced,  viz.  cinnamon,  to- 
bacco, chesnur,  inusk,  bear's  hair,  and  num- 
berless others,  by  varying  the  ground  of  the 
madder  from  the  brownest  to  the  lightest,  and 
keeping  them  longer  or  shorter  in  the  liquor  of 
the  root.  The  process  may  begin  within  any 
one  of  these  colours,  but  the  red  is  commonly 
died  first,  as  the  liquor  proper  for  the  madder 
might  hurt  the  brown,  therefore  they  are  not 
to  be  mixt  as  the  red  and  yellow  are  some- 
times. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


OF  THE  MIXTURE  OF  YELLOW  AND  BROWN. 


ROM  this  mixture  are  produced  the  shades 
of  feiTlemort  and  bear's  hair. 


Soot  is  commonly  used  in  these  colours  in- 
stead of  the  rinds  of  walnuts,  or  the  root  of 
the  walnut  tree,  as  it  makes  them  finer,  but 
care  must  be  taken  that  the  wool  or  stuff  be 
well  scoured  after  it  is  died,  to  take  off  the  bad 
smell  of  the  liquor  j  for  only  the  clear  liquor 
of  the  soot  is  to  be  used,  as  has  already  been 
said.  The  walnut  rinds  are  preferable  to  the 
soot,  unless  obliged  to  match  a  pattern  of 
feulemort  with   the  greatest  exactness,  and 


203 


which  may  sometiines  be  done  with  the  wal- 
nut. 

These  are  the  only  two  browns  resulting 
from  these  shades,  the  sumach  and  the  alder 
bark  not  giving  sufficient  ground. 

Wool  must  be  boiled  in  alum  and  tartar  to 
die  it  yellow  before  it  is  made  brown ;  but  if  it 
should  not  have  a  sufficient  ground  of  yellow, 
it  might  be  passed  afresh  through  the  yellow 
die,  notwithstanding  it  has  been  browned, 
though  in  fact  this  method  of  seeking  exaftly 
the  shade  does  not  make  so  lasting  a  colour  as 
when  the  yellow  was  at  first  sufficiently  died  ; 
for  when  the  yellow  is  died  first,  the  brown  is 
a  great  deal  brighter. 


OF  THE  "mixture  OF  BROW\N  AND  BLACK. 

^ROM  this  mixture  a  great  number  of  co- 


lours  may  be  extiadled,  as  coffee,  chesnut, 
prune,  m,usk,  thorn,  and  several  like  shades, 
whose  numbers  are  ahr.ost  infinite,  and  of  great 
use.    The  method  of  w^orking  them  is  this: 

After  the  wool  or  stuiFs  have  been  made 
brown,  as  already  described,  and  that  several 
shades  have  previously  been  given ;  as  for  ex- 
ample, a  stronger  brown  for  the  coffee,  ches- 


CH AFTER  XXV. 


204 


nut,  &c.  galls,  sumach,  and  eider  bark  are  put 
into  a  copper  in  proportion  to  the  quantities  of 
stuff  to  be  died  ;  the  whole  is  boiled  for  one 
hour,  after  which  green  copperas  is  to  be  add- 
ed. The  stuffs  that  are  to  be  lightest,  as  the 
thorn,  are  first  dipped  in  this  liquor,  then  taken 
out,  and  others  that  are  to  be  browner  are  put 
in,  observing  to  add  copperas  to  the  liquor 
each  time,  and  as  occasion  may  require,  which 
is  known  by  its  not  browning  the  stuff  quickly, 
thus  continuing  until  all  the  stuffs  are  browned : 
the  liquor  must  not  boil,  nor  be  of  a  greater 
degree  of  heat  than  the  hand  can  bear. 

When  the  galls  and  other  ingredients  are 
boiled,  cold  water  is  added  to  refresh  the  liquor 
before  the  stuff  is  put  in  :  this  is  a  precaution 
that  is  absolutely  necessary,  as  I  have  often  said. 
The  stuffs  are  first  to  be  dipped  in  luke-warm 
water  before  they  are  put  into  the  copper,  lest 
since  they  we^e  browned  they  should  have 
dried  ;  and  they  must  be  aired  when  they  have 
remained  some  time  in  the  browning,  by  pass- 
ing them  between  the  hands  by  the  lists,  with- 
out which  they  would  perhaps  spoil,  blot,  and 
be  unequally  died,  and  the  brown,  for  wanr  of 
airing,  would  not  be  lasting,  as  there  would 
not  be  a  successive  congelation  of  the  saline 
parts  of  the  vitriol. 

I  have  now  shown  all  the  necessary  colours 
or  shades  which  may  be  produced  by  the  mix- 
ture of  the  primitive  colours  taken  two  by  two, 
and  have  given  a  minute  description  both  of 
their  effects  and  the  method  of  producing  them. 


205 


There  being  but  few  colours  which  may  not  be 
greatly  varied,  it  depends  on  tht  judgment  of 
the  dier  to  choose  the  easiest,  provided  the  co- 
lour be  equally  fine. 


CHAPTER  XXVL 


OF  THE  MIXTURE  OF  THE  PRIMITIVE  COLOURS, 
TAKEN  THREE  BY  THREE. 

FROM  blue,  red,  and  yellow,  tht  red  olives 
and  greenish  greys  are  made,  and  some  o- 
ther  like  shades  of  little  use  only  for  spun  wool 
designed  for  tapestry.  It  would  be  a  repetition 
to  give  the  method  of  using  these  colours,  ha- 
ving sufficiently  explained  it  in  the  preceding 
pages. 

In  the  mixture,  where  blue  is  a  shade,  it  is 
usual  to  begin  with  it ;  the  stuff  is  afterwards 
boiled  to  give  it  the  other  colours,  in  which  it 
is  dipped  alternately  one  after  the  other;  not- 
withstanding they  are  sometimes  mixed  toge- 
ther, and  are  as  good,  provided  they  are  co- 
lours which  require  the  same  preparation  ;  for 
example,  the  madder-red  and  the  yellow.  As 
to  the  cochineal  and  kermes,  they  are  seldom 
used  in  these  common  colours,  but  only  light 
colours  which  have  a  bloom  or  vinous  hue,  and 
which  must  be  bright  and  brilliant,  and  then 

S 


206 


they  are  not  used  in  the  last  liquor,  that  is,  the 
stuff  is  only  dipped  in  when  it  has  received  the 
other  colours,  unless  they  are  to  be  greyed  a 
little,  which  is  lastly  done  by  passing  them 
through  the  browning.  It  is  impossible  to  give 
any  precise  rules  for  this  work,  and  the  lease 
praflice  of  these  rules  will  teach  more  than  I 
could  say  in  many  volumes. 

Olives  are  made  from  blue,  red,  and  brown, 
from  the  deepest  to  the  lightest,  and  by  giving 
a  little  shade  of  red,  the  slated  greys,  the  la- 
vender greys,  and  such  like. 

From  the  blue,  the  red,  and  the  blacky  an  - 
infinite  number  of  greys  of  all  shades  are  made, 
as  the  sage  grey,   the  pigeon  grey,  the  slate 
grey,  the  lead  grey,  the  king's  and  prince's  co- 
lour, browner  than  usual,  and  a  variety  of 
ther  colours  almost  innumerable. 

From  yellow,  blue,  and  brown,  are  made  the 
greens,  goose  dung,  and  olives  of  all  kinds. 

From  brown,  blue,  and  black,  are  produced 
the  brown  olives  and  the  green  greys. 

From  the  red,  yellow,  and  brown,  proceed 
the  orange,  gold  colour,  marigold,  feulemort, 
old  carnations,  burnt  cinnamon,  and  tobacco 
of  all  kinds. 

From  the  red,  yellow,  and  black  pretty  near 
the  same  as  the  last^  and  the  deep  feulemort  5  as 
also  the  ox  hair  and  broWn  nut,  and  others  of 
the  like  kind. 

I  give  this  list  of  colours  only  as  a  table  to 
show  in  general  what  ingredients  are  made  use 
of  to  make  these  sorts  of  colours,  which  also 
partake  of  several  others. 


2o7 


Four  or  five  of  these  colours  may  be  mixed 
together;  however  this  is  rarely  done  :  a  mi- 
nute detail  on  this  subject  would  be  useless, 
because  all  that  may  be  done  is  oftentimes  su- 
perfluous. 1  shall  now  only  relate  the  manner 
in  which  I  have  seeji  about  forty  different  shades 
of  carnations  made  in  spun  wool ;  this  example 
will  show  what  may  be  done  in  all  other  cases. 
There  were  none  of  those  brisfht  shades  of  scar- 
let  in  these  which  are  made  as  in  the  chapter  on 
that  colour. 

Variety  of  Carnatim  Colours. 

All  these  fiesh  or  carnations  were  old  carna- 
tions, or  shades  of  it,  so  that  they  were  aii 
obliged  to  be  taken  from  the  mixture  of  the  red 
of  kermes^  yellow,  brown,  and  black. 

An  U' ^equal  preparation  was  fii  st  given  to  the 
wool,  reserving  for  the  lighter  shades  those 
whose  preparing  liquors  had  been  weakest. 
When  they  had  remained  as  usual  four  or  five 
days  in  the  liquor  the  lighter  shades  were  died: 
these  colours  were  disposed  in  four  different 
vessel:;,  which  were  always  kept  sufficiently  hot 
without  boiling,  A  skain  of  wool  was  imme- 
diately dipped  in  the  liquor  of  the  kermes  for 
a  m/mute,  it  was  taken  out,  wrung,  and  passed 
through  a  liquor  of  weld,  and  an  instant  after 
through  a  brown  one,  and  it  became  of  the  co- 
lour required  by  the  dier;  he  immediately  dip- 
ped another,  which  remained  a  little  longer  in 
each  liquor:  he  went  on  after  this  manner,  and 


203 


when,  after  being  strongly  wrung,  and  seemed 
to  want  a  little  red  or  any  other  colour,  he  dip- 
ped it  in  the  liquor  which  it  appeared  to  w^ant. 
By  this  method  he  brought  all  his  colours  to 
the  desired  shade,  and  passed  through  the  brown 
those  that  were  required  to  be  deeper.  I  was 
fully  persuaded  by  this  method  of  working,  that 
only  patience  and  pradice  were  wanting  to  make 
all  the  colours  which  can  be  conceived. 

Too  much  caution  cannot  be  given  in  this 
kind  of  work,  to  begin  always  with  the  lightesc 
shades;  for  it  often  happens  that  they  are  kept 
too  long  in  some  of  these  liquors,  and  then  that 
skain  must  be  made  into  a  darker  shade.  But 
when  once  the  lighter  shades  are  matched,  and 
in  a  right  degradation,  the  rest  are  easily  made. 

What  I  have  been  speaking  of,  relates  only 
to  wool  intended  for  tapestry,  when  it  is  neces- 
sary that  the  shades  be  carried  on  with  the 
greatest  degree  of  precision,  without  which  it 
would  be  impossible  to  imitate  the  flesh  colours 
of  the  painter. 

With  regard  to  stufts,  it  seldom  or  never 
happens  that  they  are  made  in  these  gradations 
of  shades,  or  that  so  many  colours  are  mixed 
together ;  tv/o  or  three  are  generally  sufficient, 
since  it  has  been  shown  what  a  variety  of  co- 
lours arose  from  their  combination,  that  even 
names  cannot  be  found  for  them. 

I  think  I  have  omitted  nothing  regarding  the 
dieing  of  wool,  or  woolen  stuffs  in  the  great 
and  good  die,  and  I  make  no  doubt  but  that 
by  exacdy  following  what  I  hare  laid  down. 


209 


each  colour  and  all  the  shades  may  be  executed 
CO  the  greatest  perfection,  as  well  in  fleece  wool, 
spun  wool,  as  on  stuffs  manufactured  in  white. 

I  think  it  yet  necessary  to  add  something  in 
regard  to  mixed  stuffs,  that  is,  whose  wool  isi 
mixed  before  the  manufacturing  of  the  stuff, 
and  to  teach  the  method  by  which  this  mixture 
of  died  wool  is  performed,  to  be  afterwards 
carded  and  spun  to  form  a  colour  resulting  from 
those  different  wools. 

It  may  be  objected,  that  this  article  rather 
relates  to  the  manufacturing  of  stuffs  than  their 
dies ;  but  to  this  I  answer,  that  sometimes  co- 
lours are  made  by  mixing  wool  of  different 
shades,  whose  colours  would  not  easily  be  imi- 
tated by  dying  the  stuff  of  a  compound  colour; 
some  of  these  different  shades  composed  of  in- 
gredients which  would  require  a  different  pre- 
paration;  whereas  by  dicing  every  part  of  the 
wool  separately,  the  mixture  is  made  without 
any  difficulty;  it  cannot  therefore  be  improper 
here  to  give  the  manner  of  mixing  together 
wool  of  different  colours,  and  I  shall  also  give 
the  manner  of  making  mixtures  for  an  essay  or 
proof  in  S'nall,  (which  is  always  necessary)  to 
choose  that  which  produces  the  most  agreeable 
effect. 


S  2. 


ZIO 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 


OF  THE  MANNER  OF  MIXING  WOOL  OF  DIFFER- 
ENT COLOURS  FOR  CLOTHS  OR 
MIXED  COLOURS. 


NE  example  of  the  method  of  mixing 


wool  of  diflcrenc  colours,  will  be  sufficient,  and 
it  vvill  be  easily  applied  in  ali  other  cases  requi- 
red. Suppose  a  mixed  cloth  of  a  coffee  colour 
to  be  made,  the  following  is  the  method  of  the 
manufacturers  of  Languedoc,  and  pretty  near 
the  same  is  practised  in  all  other  manufactories. 

Three  liundred  and  fifty  pounds  of  wool  are 
first  died  coffee  colour,  which  is  called  the 
ground  wool,  that  is,  that  which  prevails  in  the 
stuffs ;  after  which  are  taken  five  pounds  of 
wool  died  in  madder-red  or  kermes,  and  two 
pounds  died  in  king's  blue ;  these  last  are  call- 
ed the  wool  of  mixture.  This  wool  is  distri- 
buted to  diff^erent  persons  placed  in  a  ring  in  a 
large  room.  The  factor,  or  he  that  has  the 
care  of  the  mixture,  stands  with  a  stick  in  his 
hand  in  the  centre  of  this  circle,  the  men  being 
at  six  feet  distance  from  him  i  eight  or  ten  are 


Colours  mixed  in  the  Loom. 


most  exact  manner  possible) 


21  I 


generally  employed  at  this  work,  and  ail  the 
wool  is  given  to  them.  In  the  present  ca::e,  for 
example,  six  will  be  employed  in  bearing  the 
prevailing  wool  or  coffee  colour,  one  the  blue, 
and  another  the  red  ;  but  they  must  be  so  situa- 
ted that  there  may  be  three  together  v;ho  have 
the  coffee  coloured  wool,  then  he  that  has  the 
red,  then  three  with  the  coftte  colour,  and  last- 
ly he  that  has  the  blue.  When  there  is  a  great- 
er number  of  colours,  they  are  thus  equally 
distributed,  observing  to  divide  them  as  much 
as  possible,  the  one  from  the  other. 

The  mien  thus  disposed  walk  slowly  round 
the  factor,  keeping  an  equal  distance,  and  each 
step  they  take  they  cast  at  the  feet  of  the  factor 
a  small  lock  of  the  wool  they  carry,  with  this 
difference,  that  those  that  have  the  red  or  the 
blue,  having  but  a  small  quantity  to  distribute, 
fling  but  little  each  time,  whereas  the  others 
must  fling  much  more.  The  factor  stirs  the 
wool  with  his  stick  whilst  the  men  are  flinging 
it,  and  that  the  mixture  should  be  perfect,  they 
must  all  have  distributed  their  v;ool  at  one  and 
the  same  time.  The  factor  then  mixes  it  again, 
and  gives  it  to  the  carders. 

The  carding  makes  a  perfect  mixture,  so  that 
no  particular  colour  is  to  be  distinguished,  and 
it  appears  of  one  uniform  colour ^  it  is  after- 
wards spun,  the  cloth  manufactured  and  brought 
to  the  mill.  The  importance  of  this  mixture 
being  exactly  made  is  easily  conceived,  for  if 
these  colours  were  unequally  distributed;  the 
cloth  would  appear  full  of  blots. 


212 


As  in  the  composition  of  these  mixtures  ir  is 
not  possible  to  judge  exactly  of  the  effeci  which 
may  be  produced  by  the  combination  of  all 
these  colours  in  different  proportions,  I  shall 
give  a  method  of  making  a  proof  in  small,  that 
a  colour  formed  after  this  manner  by  a  known 
proportional  mixture,  it  may  be  executed  in 
great,  and  be  certain  that  the  colour  of  the  stufF 
will  be  equal  to  that  of  the  pattern. 


CHAPTER.  XX  VIII. 


OF  THE  METHOD  OF  PREPARING  THE  PATTERN 
FELTS,  OR  MIXTURE  FOR  AN  ESSAY. 

THIS  little  work  is  very  simple  and  very 
useful,  as  it  will  show  in  an  hour  what  a 
mixt  cloth  will  be  after  it  is  m.anufactured,  and 
even  when  it  is  entirely  dressed.  For  this  pur- 
pose, wool  of  different  colours  are  taken,  and 
after  having  weighed  each  exactly,  the  mixture 
is  made  with  the  fingers  in  the  proportion  which 
is  judged  sufficient,  but  the  whole  in  a  very 
small  quantity ;  so  that  the  mixture  being  made, 
it  may  not  exceed  the  bigness  of  the  fist.  This 
wool  is  then  moistened  with  a  little  oil,  and 
carded  several  times  with  small  cards,  till  all 
these  colours  are  well  incorporated  together  and 
perfectly  well  mixed.  This  wool>  which  is  ex- 


213 


tremcly  open  and  of  the  square  form  of  the 
card,  is  folded  four  times,  and  gendy  pressed 
between  the  hands.  It  is  then  plunged  into  a 
strong  soap  water,  and  putting  it  again  between 
the  hands,  it  is  strongly  pressed  at  different 
times,  striking  sometimes  one  hand  on  the  o- 
ther.  It  is  then  gently  rubbed  betwixt  the  two 
hands,  which  hardens  the  wool  by  contracting 
it  all  manner  of  ways,  and  making  it  occupy 
less  space.  Ic  is  then  dipped  again  in  the  soap 
water,  and  continued  to  be  felted,  until  it  has 
acquired  some  consistence,  and  that  it  becomes 
like  felt,  and  pretty  near  the  same  consistence 
as  the  common  cloth.  This  felt  is  then  a  true 
copy  of  what  the  cloth  will  be  after  its  manu- 
facturing; for  when  it  has  been  well  felted, 
that  is,  that  the  wool  has  been  equally  and  care- 
fully extended  under  the  hand  coming  from  the 
card,  it  is  as  equal  and  as  smooth  as  the  cloth 
itself  can  be.  To  finish  it  also  as  perfectly 
as  the  cloth,  aft<r  it  has  been  washed  to  take 
off  the  soap,  it  is  dried  and  put  between  two 
papers,  and  pressed  with  an  iron  somewhat 
hot:  by  this  means  it  acquires  a  lustre  which 
makes  it  appear  like  a  cloth  which  has  been 
entirely  dressed. 

If  the  colour  of  the  felt  is  approved  of,  the 
mixture  in  great  is  made  for  the  cloth,  by  fol- 
lowing the  same  proportions  exactly,  and  it  will 
certainly  be  like  the  pattern,  for  not  only  the 
wool  of  different  colouis  are  as  entirely  mixed 
and  closed  one  to  the  other  in  the  felt  as  in  the 
cloth,  but  the  soap  which  has  been  made  use  of 


214 


to  ffit  ir,  has  produced  the  same  effect  as  that 
which  happens  to  the  cloth  in  the  ful!ing-miil, 
for  there  are  several  colours,  and  particularly 
those  that  have  been  browned,  that  is,  in  v/hose 
compositions  there  are  shades  of  black  and  grey, 
v/hich  lose  in  the  mill  part  of  their  browning, 
so  that  it  must  always  be  died  of  a  deeper  co- 
lour than  intended  to  be  after  finishing:  this 
defect  of  solidity  in  the  browning  does  not  hin- 
der it  from  standing  very  well  the  action  of  the 
air,  but  it  is  easily  spotted  by  acid  liquors,  as 
has  been  before  said.  The  colours  that  have 
been  saddened  in  the  woad  or  indigo  vat  are 
not  liable  to  this,  they  scarce  lose  any  thing  ia 
the  mill.  The  felt  produces  the  same  effect, 
^nci  it  is  certain  that  the  stuff  will  not  lose  more 
in  great  at  the  mill  than  the  felt  did  with  soap; 
consequently  this  preliminary  operation  of  the 
felt  may  be  looked  upon  as  a  sure  guide  for  the 
choice  and  assortment  of  wool  in  mixt  cloths. 

Tiiese  patterns  are  made  still  better  with 
black  soap,  but  it  gives  them  a  disagreeable 
smell,  which  is  not  easily  taken  off  by  repeat- 
ed washings. 

The  felts,  when  made,  m.ay  be  died  for  stuffs, 
in  which  it  is  required  that  one  colour  should 
cover  the  other,  for  then,  after  the  stuff  should 
have  been  mixed  with  the  same  colours  as  the 
felt,  it  might  be  dipped  in  the  same  die  through 
which  that  had  been  passed,  and  by  this  means 
it  would  be  of  the  same  colour  as  the  f^flt  3  but 
this  is  not  to  be  done  to  the  stuff  till  it  comes 
from  the  mill,  has  been  sheered,  and  norhinj.^ 


215 


reniiiins  but  to  dress  it.  This  method  will  be 
of  great  use  when  it  is  a  mixed  cloth  in  which 
cochineal  has  been  used,  for  it  saddens  too  much 
and  spoils  at  the  mill ;  so  that  when  it  is  used 
in  mixed  stuffs,  a  fresh  liquor  must  be  made, 
in  which  the  cloth  must  be  dipped,  when  it  re- 
quires no  more  dressing  than  that  which  is  gi- 
ven to  cloth  died  white  after  it  is  come  out  of 
the  die. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 


POLISH  RED. 

BEFORE  I  enter  upon  the  colours  of  the 
lesser  die,  I  shall  give  the  process  of  a  ve- 
ry excellent  colour,  called  Polish  red. 

If  you  would  die  forty  pounds  of  wool  this 
bright  and  holding  colour,  boil  ten  pounds  of 
nut  galls,  in  a  copper  sufficiently  large,  an  hour 
and  a  half^  then  cool  the  liquor  with  cold  wa- 
ter about  ten  degrees  under  a  boiling  heat,  be- 
cause the  madder  should  not  boil,  and  add  best 
madder  in  proportion  to  the  shade  required, 
from  fourteen  to  twenty  pounds.  Work  rhese 
ingredients  with  the  wool  for  two  hours  with 
long  poles,  that  it  may  die  in  all  parts  alike. 


2l6 


Jlince  it  well,  and  you  have  the  true  polish  red. 
If  you  vvould  have  a  dark  colour,  use  a  little 
ashes.  Observe  to  have  the  wool  well  scoured. 
This  process  will  hold  good  in  cloch  and  other 
things. 


217 


THE 

DIER'S  ASSISTANT. 


PART  ir. 

CHAPTER  I. 

OF  THE  DIEING  OF  WOOL  BY  THE  LESSER  Dili, 

I OBSERVED  in  the  beginning  of  this  trea- 
tise, that  the  dieing  of  wool,  or  woollen 
stuffs  manufactured  from  it,  were  distinguished 
by  the  great  and  lesser  die.  The  French  regu^ 
larions  have  fixed  what  the  quality  of  the  wool 
and  stuffs  are  to  be,  which  are  to  be  died  by^ 
the  greater  or  lesser  die.  This  distinction  has 
been  founded  on  this  principle,  that  stuffs  of  a 
certain  value,  and  which  generally  constitute 
the  upper  part  of  clothing,  should  receive  a 
more  solid  and  lasting  colour  than  stuffs  of  a 
low  price,  which  would  be  dearer  and  become 
less  saleable,  were  they  obliged  to  be  died  by 
the  good  die,  as  the  good  die  is  a  great  deal 

T 


2l8 


more  expensive  than  the  lesser,  and  that  stuffs 
of  low  price,  which  are  permitted  to  be  died  by 
the  lesser  die,  are  generally  used  to  make 
linings,  so  that  they  are  little  exposed  to  the  ac- 
tion of  the  air,  and  if  they  are  put  to  other 
uses  they  are  soon  worn  out,  on  account  of  the 
weakness  of  their  texture ;  and  consequently 
there  is  no  necessity  for  tlieir  colours  being  so 
lasting  as  that  of  a  stuff  of  a  much  longer  du- 
ration. 

I  have  related  in  the  preceding  treatise,  with 
the  greatest  exactness  and  precision  in  my 
power,  the  method  of  executing  by  the  good 
die  all  imaginable  colours  ^  I  shall  do  the  same 
in  that  which  concerns  the  lesser  die,  and  shall 
lay  down  the  method  of  making  the  same  co- 
lours with  other  ingredients  than  1  have  hitherto 
spoken  of,  and  which,  though  they  have  not 
the  solidity  of  the  first,  often  have  the  advan- 
tage of  yielding  more  lively  colours  ,  besides 
which,  the  greater  part  give  a  smoother  colour, 
and  are  worked  with  greater  facility  than  the 
ingredients  of  the  good  die. 

These  are  the  advantages  of  these  subsrances 
which  are  called  false  ingredients^  and  though 
it  is  to  be  wished  that  their  use  was  not  so  ge- 
neral, it  must  be  agreed  that  they  have  their 
utility  for  stuffs  less  exposed  to  the  air,  or 
whose  colour  does  not  stand  in  need  of  a  long 
duration.  I  might  also  add,  that  the  colours 
are  most  commonly  sorted  with  greater  ease, 
and  with  more  expedition,  in  the  lesser  die  than 
can  be  done  in  the  great. 


219 


I  shall  nor  follow  the  same  order  for  this 
kind  of  die  as  I  did  for  the  good,  since  in  this 
no  primary  colours  are  known.  Few  serve  as 
a  ground  for  others :  the  greatest  part  do  not 
arise  from  a  combination  of  two  or  several  sim- 
ple colours.  In  short,  there  are  colours,  such 
as  the  blue,  &c.  which  are  seldom  or  never 
made  in  the  lesser  die. 

This  is  the  order  which  I  propose  to  follow, 
and  shall  first  set  forth  the  names  of  all  the  in- 
gredients which  particularly  belong  to  the  lesser 
die,  and  then  give  the  method  of  using  each  of 
these  ingredients,  and  the  extraction  of  all  the 
colours  they  can  yield.  It  will  be  found  that 
several  of  these  ingredients  produce  similar 
colours,  so  that  it  would  have  been  impossible 
to  have  treated  of  them  separately,  without 
tiring  the  reader  with  tedious  and  troublesome 
repetitions. 

The  ingredients  are  fiock  or  goat's  hair  mad- 
dered,  archil,  logwood,  brasil,  fustic,  roncou, 
grains  of  Avignoriy  turmeric,  ox  terra  merrita. 
1  shall  not  here  speak  of  the  sanders  or  soot, 
though  these  ingredients  particularly  belong  to 
the  lesser  die  ;  I  have  already  given  the  man- 
ner of  using  these  last. 


220 


CHAPTER  IL 


•OF   THE   DIEING  OF   FLOCK  OR    GOAT's  HAIR. 

^T^HERE  are  two  preparations  very  different 


J  one  from  the  other  in  the  dieing  of  flock  : 
the  first  is  with  madder,  and  belongs  to  the 
grii^at  and  good  die;  the  second  is  to  dissolve 
it  and  make  use  of  it;  this  belongs  to  the  les- 
ser die.  The  dieing  with  flock  was  formerly 
permitted  in  the  good  die,  but  was  rather  on 
account  of  its  being  extracted  from  madder, 
than  by  any  experiment  that  had  been  made 
concerning  its  durability.  I  tried  it  with  great 
attention,  and  found  it  beyond  any  doubt  that 
there  is  no  colour  that  resists  the  air  kss.  It 
is  certainly  for  this  reason  that  it  was  restrained 
ro  the  lesser  nie  in  the  new  regulation  of  France 
in  1737.  Yet,  as  by  the  same  regulation,  it 
is  not  permitted  to  the  diers  of  the  lesser  die 
to  use  madder,  nor  even  to  keep  it  in  their 
houses;  it  has  been  enacted,  that  only  the 
diers  of  the  great  die  should  be  suffered  to 
madder  flock,  and  those  of  the  les.er  die  to 
dissolve  and  use  it. 

This  maddering  of  flock  ought  to  have  found 
a  place  in  the  foregoing  treatise,  bur  that  1 
chose  rather  to  class  together  all  operations  that 


221 


have  any  necessary  connection,  than  to  stick 
too  scrupulously  to  that  distinction  of  the 
great  and  lesser  die,  which  is  the  particular  ob- 
ject of  the  civil  government  of  that  art,  and 
which  upon  some  occasions  might  have  made 
me  fall  into  some  obscurities,  or  run  into  con-- 
tinual  repetitions;  besides,  the  government  of 
dicing  is  not  the  art  considered  in  itself. 

To  madder  the  flock  or  goat's  hair,  four 
pounds  of  either  of  them  is  cut  and  well  sepa- 
rated, that  the  die  may  penetrate  the  better. 
It  is  boiled  two  hours  in  a  sufficient  quantity 
of  sour  water  5  then  it  is  drained  for  an  hour^ 
and  pur  into  a  middling  copper,  half  filled 
with  water,  with  four  pounds  of  roach  alum, 
two  pounds  of  red  tartar,  and  one  pound  of 
madder.  The  whole  is  boiled  for  six  hours, 
putting  in  hot  water  as  the  liquor  wastes  ;  it  is 
left  all  night  and  next  day  in  this  liquor;  the 
third  day  it  is  taken  out  and  drained  in  a  bas- 
ket. Some  diers  let  rr  remain  eight  days,  but 
it  often  happens  that  by  this  delay  in  a  copper 
vessel  it  is  tarnished  by  the  liquors  corroding 
a  part  of  the  copper ;  a  middling  copper  is 
then  filled  to  the  two-thirds  with  half  sour  wa- 
ter, and  half  common  water  and  when  the  li- 
quor is  ready  to  boil,  eight  pounds  of  mad- 
der, well  cut  and  crushed  between  the  hands, 
is  added.  When  the  madder  is  well  mixed  in 
the  liquor,  four  pounds  of  flock  or  hair  is  put 
in  and  boiled  for  six  hours;  it  is  then  well 
washed,  and  the  next  day  it  is  maddered  a 
second  time  after  the  same  manner,  only  put- 

r  2 


222 


ting  in  four  pounds  of  niadder  instead  of  eight, 
which  vjtrc  before  used.  After  this  second 
rnaddcring,  it  is  well  washed  and  dried  ;  it  is 
then  almost  black  and  fit  for  use. 

It  appears  by  this  operation,  that  four  pounds 
of  flock  or  hair  is  loaded  with  thirteen  pounds 
of  the  die  of  madder,  yet  there  still  remains 
some  die  in  the  liquor,  which  is  then  called  an 
old  rnaddcring,  and  which  is  preserved  for  use 
on  certain  occasions,  as  in  tobacco,  cinnamon 
colour,  and  several  others. 

When  the  flock  is  thus  maddered  by  the  dier 
of  the  great  die  he  sells  it  to  diets  of  the  lesser, 
who  have  then  the  liberty  to  dissolve  and  use 
it;  this  is  the  common  method,  which  has  ma- 
ny difficulties,  and  is  known  but  to  few  diers. 
Madder  is  hereby  made  fine. 

About  half  an  hour  after  seven  in  the  morn- 
ing, six  pails  full  of  clear  water  are  put  into 
a  middling  copper,  and  when  the  water  is  luke- 
warm, five  pounds  of  pearl-aslies  are  put  in  : 
the  v^'hole  is  boiled  till  eleven,  and  the  liquor 
is  then  considerably  diminished,  so  as  to  be 
held  in  a  lesser  copper,  into  which  it  is  emptied, 
observing  first  to  let  the  dregs  of  the  pearl-ashts 
subside,  that  none  but  the  clear  may  be  used, 

A  pail  full  of  this  liquor  is  afterwards  put 
into  the  middling  copper,  having  first  scoured 
ic  well,  and  a  little  fire  made  under  it ;  the  four 
pounds  of  maddered  flock  are  scattered  in  by 
degrees,  and  at  the  same  time  a  little  of  the 
lukewarm  and  saline  liquor  of  the  small  copper 
Is  added  to  keep  down  the  boiling,  which  rises 


223 


from  time  to  tiine  to  the  top  of  the  copper,  in 
which  the  operation  is  performing. 

When  all  the  flock  and  the  liquor  of  the  little 
copper  are  put  into  the  middling  one,  a  pail 
full  of  clear  water  is  put  on  the  dregs  of  the 
p  arl-ashcs  remaining  in  the  little  copper.  This 
water  serves  to  fill  tlie  middling  one  as  the  li- 
quor in  it  evaporates.    All  this  flock  melts,  or 
is  dissolved  by  the  a6lion  of  the  pearl-ashes, 
and  after  the  first  half  hour,  not  the  least  hair 
is  to  be  perceived.   The  liquor  is  then  of  a  ve- 
ry deep  red.    The  whole  is  then  boiled  with- 
out any  addition,  till  three  in  the  afternoon, 
that  the  whole  dissolution  of  the  flocks  may  be 
the  more  exactly  performed.    Then  a  stick  is 
placed  upon  the  copper,  and  upon  this  stick  is 
placed  a  pail  of  fermented  urine,  in  which  pail 
a  small  hole  has  been  previously  made  towards 
its  lower  parr,  and  a  little  straw  put  into  it,  that 
the  urine  may  very  slowly  run  into  the  copper; 
whilst  it  is  running,  the  liquor  is  made  to  boil 
strongly,  and  this  urine  makes  good  what  may 
be  lost  by  evaporation.    This  operation  conti- 
nues five  hours,  during  which  time  three  pails 
full  of  urine  are  discharged  into  the  copper, 
being  made  to  run  faster  when  the  boil  is  stron- 
ger, than  when  moderate.    It  is  here  to  be  ob- 
served, that,  on  account  of  the  small  quantity 
of  flock  in  the  experiment  which  I  lay  down 
here,  five  pounds  only  of  pearl-ashes  are  order- 
ed; for  when  thirty  pounds  of  flock  are  dissol- 
ved at  one  time,  which  is  the  common  custom 
of  the  French  diers,  they  pnt  twelve  ounces  of 
pearl-ashes  to  each  pound  of  flock* 


224 


During  the  whole  time  of  this  operation,  a 
strong  volatile  smell  of  urine  is  emitted,  and 
there  swims  on  the  surface  of  the  liquor  a  brown 
scum,  but  much  more  so  after  the  addition  of 
the  urine.  The  liquor  is  known  to  be  suffici- 
ently done  when  this  rises  no  more,  and  that 
the  boil  rises  but  gently,  that  is  what  happened 
to  the  operation  now  related,  at  eight  in  the 
evening.  The  fire  is  then  raked  out,  the  copper 
covered,  and  thus  left  to  the  next  day.  Pat- 
terns had  been  taken  at  different  times  of  the 
colours  of  the  liquor  from  three  to  eight  in  the 
evening,  by  dipping  in  small  pieces  of  paper: 
the  first  were  very  brown,  and  they  became 
continually  lighter,  and  united  them.seives  miore 
and  more,  in  proportion  as  the  volatile  part  of 
the  urine  afted  on  the  colouring  parts  of  the  li- 
quor. 

Nothing  now  remained  but  to  die  the  wool 
in  the  liquor  thus  prepared,  and  which  is  called 
melting  of  flock;  this  is  the  easiest  work  be- 
longing to  the  dier.  A  quarter  of  an  hour  be- 
fore the  dicing  is  begun,  a  little  piece  of  very 
clean  roach  alum  is  put  in,  and  the  copper  is 
well  raked  to  miclt  it.  As  this  liquor  which 
was  in  the  middling  copper  had  been  covered 
the  whole  night,  and  the  fire  had  not  been  put 
out,  the  liquor  was  still  so  hot  as  not  to  suffer 
the  hand.  The  clearest  was  taken  out  and 
brought  into  a  small  copper,  with  a  sufficient 
quantity  of  lukewarm  water,  some  wool  died 
yellow  with  weld  was  dipped  in  it;  it  immedi- 
ately became  of  a  fine  orange,  bordering  on  the 


225 


flame  colour,  that  is  of  the  colour  called  naca- 
ret^  and  known  to  the  diers  by  the  name  of  77^- 
caret  of  flocky  because  it  is  commonly  made 
with  melted  flock. 

Twenty  hanks  of  white  wool  were  dipped 
one  after  the  other  in  the  same  liquor,  begin- 
ning by  those  that  were  to  have  the  deepest 
ground,  and  leaving  them  longer  or  shorter  in 
the  liquor  according  to  the  shade  required.  An 
assortment  was  made  after  this  manner  from  the 
nacaret,  or  bright  orange  red,  to  the  cherry- 
colour.  It  ought  to  be  observed,  that  in  pro- 
portion as  the  liquor  was  consumed,  fresh  was 
taken  from  the  middle  sized  copper,  great  care 
being  taken  not  to  stir  the  sediment  at  the  bot- 
tom ;  a  little  fire  was  also  kept  under  the  small 
copper,  to  keep  the  liquor  always  in  the  same 
degree  of  heat.  The  wool  is  thus  dipped  until 
the  whole  liquor  is  used,  and  all  the  colour 
drawn  out.  But  the  lighter  colours  could  not 
be  died  in  it ;  for  when  the  colour  of  the  liquor 
is  once  v/eakened,  as  it  ought  to  be  for  these 
colours,  it  is  generally  loaded  with  filth,  which 
would  take  off  the  brightness  required  in  these 
shades. 

The  following  is  the  method  of  making 
shades  lighter  than  the  cherry  colour.  A  cop- 
per is  filled  with  clear  water,  and  five  or  six 
hanks  of  wool  died  of  the  deepest  die  from  the 
flock,  that  is,  from  the  shade  that  immediately 
follows  the  nacaret,  are  put  in.  As  soon  as  the 
warer  boils,  it  takes  out  all  the  colour  the  wool 
had,  and  it  is  in  this  fresh  liquor  that  the  other 


226 


wool  that  is  to  be  died  is  dipped,  from  the  cher- 
ry  colour  to  the  palest  flesh  colour,  observing 
always  to  begin  by  the  deepest  shades. 

Most  of  the  diers  who  do  not  know  how  to 
melt  the  flock,  or  who  will  not  give  themselves 
that  trouble,  buy  some  pounds  of  this  scarlet 
of  flock,  which  they  use  after  this  manner,  to 
make  all  the  lighter  shades,  which,  as  has  been 
said,  is  done  with  much  ease*  This  operation 
shows  what  little  deptndance  can  be  put  on  the 
solidity  of  a  colour  that  passes  so  quickly  in 
boiling  water.  And  in  fact,  it  is  one  of  the 
worst  colours  there  is  in  dicing,  and  on  that  ac- 
count the  new  regulation  has  taken  it  from  rhc 
great  die,  and  permits  it  in  the  lesser  for  the 
reasons  above  mentioned. 

Thus  a  very  bad  colour  may  be  had  from  an 
ingredient  which,  of  all  those  th^t  are  used  in 
dicing,  is  perhaps  the  best  and  the  most  dura- 
ble ;  yet  when  this  hair,  died  with  all  the  ne- 
cessary precautions  to  insure  the  colour  as  much 
as  possible,  comes  to  be  dissolved  or  m.elted  in 
a  liquor  of  pearl-ashes,  its  colour,  by  acquiring 
a  new  lustre,  loses  all  its  solidity,  and  can  only 
be  ranked  in  the  number  of  the  falsest  dies. 

It  may  appear  that  the  little  solidity  of  this 
colour  proceeded  from  the  wool  having  no  pre- 
paration, and  retaining  no  salt  before  its  being 
dipped  in  the  dissolved  flock;  but  I  found  that 
this  was  not  the  cause;  for  I  dipped  in  this  li- 
quor wool  boiled  as  ur.ual,  and  other  wool  dif- 
ferently prepared,  without  finding  that  the  co- 
lour of  the  latter  had  acquired  any  more  soli- 


diry  ;  the  lustre  was  less,  that  is,  it  came  out 
more  saddened  than  the  wool  that  ij||d  been 
died  in  it  without  any  preparation. 

Though  I  have  said  that  wool  receives  no 
preparation  before  its  being  died  in  a  dissolu- 
tion of  flock,  it  is  nevertheless  necessary  to  sul- 
phur those  that  are  to  make  clear  shades,  for 
that  gives  them  a  great  brightness  and  lustre, 
as  the  dissolved  flock  is  applied  on  a  ground  a 
great  deal  whiter  than  it  would  be  without  the 
vapour  of  the  sulphur,  which  cleanses  it  of  all 
its  filth.  The  same  thing  is  done  for  the  light 
blues,  and  for  some  other  colours ;  but  this  o- 
peration  is  seldom  made  use  of  but  for  wool 
intended  for  samples  or  tapestry. 

Sulphuring  of  Wool. 

The  diers  do  not  do  this,  because  of  the  stink 
of  the  sulphur,  or  rather  to  avoid  the  trouble. 
Nevertheless,  to  give  an  idea  of  it,  the  white 
wool  is  suspended  on  hoops  or  perches  in  a 
close  room,  and  under  this  wool  chaffing  dishes 
are  placed  with  lighted  coals,  on  which  powder- 
ed sulphur  is  cast.  The  room-door  is  after- 
wards shut,  that  the  smoke  may  be  the  longer 
retained  and  act  on  the  wool,  which  is  to  re- 
main till  it  is  entirely  whitened  ;  it  is  then  call- 
ed sulphured  wool ;  and  this  is  the  preparation 
it  must  receive  to  give  a  brightness  to  the  rose, 
cherry,  and  flesh  colours,  which  are  made  from 
the  dissoludon  of  flocks. 


228 


Tbtf/fieory  of  the  Dissolution  of  Flock. 

The  reason  why  from  an  ingredient,  such  as 
the  root  of  madder,  perishable  colours  are  pro- 
duced from  dissolved  flock,  is  not  difficult  to 
assign.  In  the  first  operation  of  maddering  the 
ilock,  the  red  of  the  madder  was  fixed  fn  rhc 
hair  by  the  preparation  of  alum  and  tartar  as 
much  as  possible,  but  as  it  is  overloaded  with 
this  colour,  it  is  easy  to  conceive  that  the  su- 
perfluoift  colouring  atoms  being  only  applied 
on  those  which  already  filled  the  pores  of  this 
hair,  these  alone  are  really  retained  in  the  pores, 
and  are  cemented  by  the  salts.  The  hair  thus 
reddened  by  the  madder  so  as  to  become  almost 
black,  would  lose  a  great  deal  of  the  intensity 
of  its  colour,  if  it  was  boiled  in  any  liquor, 
was  it  even  common  water;  but  to  this  water, 
pearl-ashes  are  added  in  equal  weight  with  the 
flock  already  died,  which  is  to  be  melted  in  it; 
consequently  there  is  a  very  strong  lixivium  of 
fixed  alkaline  salts  made.  I  have  already  said 
in  ariOther  place,  in  the  foregoing  treatise,  that 
very  strong  alkaline  leys  destroy  the  natural 
texture  of  almost  all  animal  substances,  as  also 
gums  and  resins ;  in  short,  that  an  alkaline  salt 
is  their  dissolvent.  In  the  present  operation, 
the  lixivium  or  the  pearl-ashes  is  very  concen- 
trated, and  very  acrid,  and  consequently  in  a 
state  to  melt  the  hair,  which  is  an  animal  sub- 
stance, which  it  does  very  quickly,  and  with  a 
strong  fermentation,  which  shows  itself  by  the 


229 


btrongand  violent  elevation  of  the  liquor  :  coq- 
Beq  fently  it  dfstroyb  the  natural  cexiure  of  each 
of  these  hairs,  and  thr  sides  of  the  pores  being 
at  the  same  tmie  broken  and  reduced  to  very 
minute  parts,  these  sides  having  neither  con- 
sistence nor  spring  to  retain  these  s  ilts,  and  the 
colouring  particles  that  were  sticking  to  them. 
Therefore  the  animal  particles  of  the  hair,  the 
colouring  parts  of  the  m  uider,  the  saline  pairs 
of  the  liquor,  and  the  aikali  of  the  pearl-ashes, 
are  all  confounded  together,  and  form  a  new 
mixture,  which  cannot  afford  a  lasting  die,  be- 
cause from  these  saline  parts  mixed  together 
there  cannot  be  formed  a  sufficient  quantity  of 
salts  capable  of  crysrallization,  and  producing 
moleculas,  which  can  resist  cold  water  and  the 
rays  of  the  sun.  In  short,  it  could  not  torm  a 
tartar  of  vitriol,  because  the  alkaline  salt  is  in 
too  great  a  proporrion. 

To  rouze  the  deep  and  overloaded  die  of  the 
madder  first  applied  on  the  flock,  and  after  con- 
founded by  the  melnng  of  this  hair  m  the  mix- 
ture ah'eady  spoken  of,  putrified  urinr  is  added 
in  a  considerable  quantity  ;  this  is  a  further  ob- 
stacle to  crystallization  ;  consequently  wool  not 
prepared  by  other  salts,  ;^nd  dipped  in  a  liquor 
thus  composed,  can  only  be  covered  by  a  su- 
perficial colour,  which  finds  no  prepared  pores, 
or  any  thing  saline  in  those  pores,  which  may 
cemeni  the  colouring  atoais ;  therefore  such  a 
die  must  quit  its  subject  on  the  least  efibrc  of 
what  nature  soever  it  be. 

U 


230 


But  wool  prepared  by  the  liquor  of  tartar 
and  alum,  does  not  take  a  more  lasting  colour^ 
in  the  liquor  of  the  melted  flock,  than  wool 
not  prepared  by  these  salts  ;  for  a  liquor  which 
abounds  with  fixed  alkaline  salts  attacks  the  tar- 
tar left  of  the  preceding  preparation  in  the  pores 
of  the  wool.  This  tartar  changes  its  nature, 
and  from  being  hard  to  dissolve,  as  it  was  be- 
fore, it  becomes  a  soluble  tartar,  that  is,  a  salt 
that  dissolves  very  easily  in  the  coldest  watrr. 

It  may  perhaps  be  objected,  that  particles  of 
alum  remain  in  the  pores  of  the  prepared  wool, 
that  from  these  particles  of  alum,  as  well  as 
from  a  portion  of  the  same  salt  which  is  put  in- 
to the  liquor,  reddened  by  the  melting  of  the 
flock,  the  alkali  of  the  pearl-ashes  must  forma 
tartar  of  vitriol,  which,  according  to  my  prin- 
ciples, ought  to  secure  the  die. 

To  this  I  answer,  that  the  urine  hinders  the 
combination  of  these  two  salts,  which  is  neces- 
sary for  the  formation  of  the  tartar  oi  vunol; 
if  even  this  hindrance  did  not  exist,  the  quan- 
tity of  this  salt,  which  I  have  naiped  hard  in 
another  place,  could  not  be  sufficient  to  cement 
the  colour  in  the  pores  of  the  wool,  or  put  them 
in  a  state  to  retain  the  colouring  atoms.  Fur- 
ther, the  sharpness  of  the  alkaline  salts  in  this 
liquor,  which  is  capable  of  entirely  dissolving 
the  hair  boiled  in  ir,  would  equally  be  able  to 
dissolve  the  wool,  were  ir  boiled  as  the-  flock 
was.  Bift  yet,  though  a  degree  of  heat  is  not 
given  to  the  liquor,  which  would  be  necessary 
for  this  total  destruction,  it  is  easily  conceived. 


231 


that  if  the  sum  of  the  destroying  action  is  not 
the  same,  at  least  a  part  exists,  which  is  still 
sufficient  to  corrode  the  side^  of  the  pores  of 
the  wool,  to  enlarge  them  greatly,  and  to  ren- 
der them  unfit  to  retain  the  colouring  atoms  ; 
to  rhis  may  be  added,  that  the  hair  is  melted 
in  the  liquor,  and  consequently  mixed  with  the 
colouring  parts  of  the  madder  in  a  great  quan- 
tity; that  these  are  heterogeneous  parts,  which 
prt-vent  the  immediate  contact  of  the  same  co- 
louring pares,  and  that  from  all  these  obstacles 
t^.ken  together,  the  colour  must  be  rendered 
less  durable  and  less  holding  than  any  of  the 
lesser  die.  This,  experience  sufficieiuly  proves, 
for  if  a  skiin  of  red  wool  died  in  this  manner, 
be  put  into  boiling  water,  the  colour  will  be 
taken  off  entirely. 


CHAPTER  III. 


OF   THE  MANNER  OF   USING  ARCHIL. 

ARCHIL  is  a  soft  paste,  of  a  deep  red, 
which  being  simply  diluted  in  hot  water 
alFords  a  number  of  different  shades;  there  are 
two  kinds,  ihe  most  common  which  is  not  so 
one  or  so  c^ood,  is  generally  made  in  Auvergne, 
Ri  a  lichen  or  sort  of  moss,  vc»y  common  on 
the  rocks  of  that  province:  it  is  known  under 


232 

the  name  of  Archil  of  Auvergne,  or  Land  Ar- 
chil. The  other  is  a  L^rear  deal  finer  and  het- 
rer;  it  is  called  the  Archil  of  Herb,  or  of  the 
Canar  ies,  or  C^pe  Verd  i\rchil  ;  it  is  preparrd 
in  1' ranee,  England,  I-]oIhind,  and  other  places. 

The  workmen  who  prep^ire  this  herb  Archil^ 
make  a  secret  of  the  preparation,  but  the  par- 
ticulars may  be  found  well  related  in  a  Treatise 
of  jyi.  Pierre  Antoine  Micheli^  which  bears  for 
title,  Nova  Plantcirum  Genera^  therefore  I  shall 
not  here  give  the  method  of  preparing  it. 

When  a  dier  wants  to  assure  himself  that  the 
Archil  v/i!l  produce  a  beautiful  effect,  he  must 
extend  a  piece  of  this  paste  on  the  back  of  his 
hand  and  let  it  dry,  afterwards  \vashing  his 
hind  with  cold  water.  If  this  spot  remains 
with  only  a  little  of  its  colour  discharged,  he 
may  judge  the  Archil  to  be  good,  and  be  a^su- 
fed  it  will  Succeed. 

I  shall  now  give  the  method  of  using  the 
prepared  arciiil,  but  1  shidl  only  treat  of  that  of 
the  Canaries,  and  just  mention  the  difference 
between  it  and  th.ir  of  Auvergne.  A  copper  is 
fiilc  !  with  clear  water,  and  when  it  begins  to 
be  !uk^'-warm,  the  proper  quantity  of  archil  is 
pu:  in  and  well  stirred:  rhc  liquor  is  afterwards 
heated  ahiiost  to  boiliiig,  and  the  wool  or  stuffs 
are  dipped  without  any  preparation,  only  keep- 
ing rhosc'  longer  in  that  are  to  be  deeper. 

When  tlie  archil  yields  no  more  colour  at  this 
devrree  of  hear,  the  liquor  Is  made  to  boil  to 
extract  the  remainder;  but  if  ir  is  archil  of  Au- 
ver^^ne,  the  colours  drawn  after  this  manner 


233 


will  be  sadder  than  the  first,  on  account  of  the 
boiling  of  the  liquor.  The  Canary  archil,  on 
the  contrary,  will  lose  nothing  of  its  brightness, 
if  even  the  liquor  boiled  ^rom  the  beginning. 
This  last,  though  dearer,  yields  much  naore  die, 
so  chat  there  is  more  prufic  in  making  use  of  it, 
besides  its  superiority  over  the  other  in  beauty 
and  goodness  of  colour.  The  natural  colour 
which  IS  drawn  both  from  the  one  and  the  other 
archil,  is  a  fine  gris-de-lin^  bordering  on  the 
violet.  The  violet,  the  pansy,  the  amaranth, 
and  several  like  colours  are  obtained  from  it, 
by  giving  the  stuff  a  ground  of  blue  more  or 
less  deep  before  it  is  passed  through  the  archil. 

It  must  here  be  observed,  that  to  have  the 
clear  shades  of  these  colours  as  bright  as  they 
ought  to  be,  the  wool  ought  to  be  sulphured, 
as  was  said  in  the  foregoing  chapter,  either  be- 
f  ore  it  is  dipped  in  the  archil,  for  the  gris-de- 
lin^  or  before  it  is  died  blue  for  the  violet  and 
other  like  colours. 

This  way  of  using  archil  is  the  simplest,  but 
the  colours  that  proceed  from  it  are  not  lasting. 
It  may  be  imagined  that  the  colours  would  be 
betrer  by  giving  a  preparation  to  the  wool  pre- 
vious to  its  being  died,  as  is  practised  in  the 
great  die,  when  madder,  cochineal,  weld,  &c. 
are  u  ed ;  but  experience  shews  the  contrary, 
and  I  have  used  the  archil  on  wool  boiled  in 
alu  n  and  tartar,  which  did  not  resist  the  air 
more  than  that  which  had  received  no  prepara- 
tion. 

U  2 


^34 


There  is,  notvvichstatiding,  a  method  of 
using  the  Canary  archil,  and  giving  it  almost 
as  much  duration  as  the  mr:si  part  o^  the  in- 
gn'dicnts  of  the  good  die;  but  then  its  natural 
colour  of  gris-de-lin  is  takrn  off,  and  it  ac- 
quM'ts  a  rtrd  or  scarlrr,  or  rather  a  colour  known 
under  the  name  of  bastard  scarlet.  The  co- 
lours of  the  kermes  or  Venetian  scarlet,  and 
several  other  shades  that  border  on  the  red  and 
the  orange,  may  also  be  drawn  from  it.  These 
colours  are  extracted  from  the  archil  by  the 
means  of  acids,  and  all  those  that  are  thus 
made  may  be  looked  upon  as  much  more  last- 
ing than  the  others,  though  strictly  speaking, 
they  are  not  of  the  good  die. 

There  are  two  methods  of  extracting  these 
red  colours  from  the  archil.  The  first  is  by 
incorporating  some  acid  in  the  composition  it- 
self that  is  made  use  of  to  reduce  this  plant  to 
a  paste  (such  as  is  known  to  the  diers  under 
the  name  of  archil).  I  have  been  assured  that 
it  may  be  made  violet  and  even  blue,  which 
probably  is  done  by  the  mixture  of  some  al- 
kalis, but  I  must  confess  I  could  not  succeed 
in  it,  although  I  made  above  twenty  trials  for 
that  purpose.  I  shall  now  proceed  to  the  se- 
cond method  of  extracting  from  archil  a  beau- 
tiful and  pretty  lasting  red,  and  which  1  exe- 
cuted four  times  v/ith  success. 

Bastard  Scarlet  by  JrchiL 

Pn^pared  archil  from  the  Canaries  is  diluted 
as  usual  in  warm  water^  and  a  small  quantity 


235 

of  the  common  composition  for  scarier  is  ad- 
ded, which  IS  as  has  been  shown  in  the  preced- 
ing treatise,  a  solution  o^  tin  in  aqua-regia^ 
weakened  v;ich  water;  this  acid  clears  the  li- 
quor iinmediately  and  gives  it  a  scarlet  colour. 
The  wool  or  stuff  is  then  to  be  dipped  m  this 
liquor,  and  left  till  it  has  received  the  shade 
required.  If  the  colour  should  not  have  bright- 
ness enough,  a  little  more  of  the  composition 
must  be  put  in,  and  pretty  near  the  same  me- 
thod must  be  followed  as  in  the  dicing  of  com- 
mon scarlet:  I  tried  to  make  it  in  two  liquors 
as  the  scarlet,  that  is,  to  boil  the  stuff  with 
the  composition,  and  a  small  quantity  of  ar- 
ciul^  and  afterwards  to  finish  it  with  a  greater 
quantity  of  both,  and  I  succeeded  equally; 
but  the  operation  is  longer  after  this  manner, 
and  I  have  sometimf:s  made  as  fine  a  colour  in 
one  liquor.  Thus  the  dler  may  take  his  choice 
of  either  of  these  methods. 

I  cannot  exactly  fix  the  quantity  of  ingre* 
dients  m  this  operation.  First,  as  it  depends 
on  the  shade  that  is  to  be  given  to  the  stuff. 
Second,  as  it  is  a  new  process  in  dieing,  I  have 
not  had  sufficient  experiments  to  know  with 
exactness  the  quantity  of  archil  and  composi- 
tion which  ought  to  be  gsed  :  the  success  also 
depends  on  the  greater  or  lesser  acidity  of  the 
composition.  In  short,  this  method  of  dieing 
with  archil  is  so  easy,  that  by  making  t^vo  or 
three  trials  in  small,  more  knowledge  will  be 
acquired  from  it  than  1  could  teach  in  a  large 
volume ;  1  must  only  add,  that  the  more  the 


236 


colour  drawn  from  this  ingredient  approaches 
the  scarlet,  the  more  lasting  it  is.  I  have  made 
a  great  number  of  shades  from  the  same  ar- 
chil, and  which  consequently  only  differed  by 
the  greater  or  less  quantity  of  the  composifion, 
and  I  always  found  that  the  more  the  archil 
went  from  the  natural  colour,  the  more  lastins: 
it  became,  so  that  when  1  brought  it  to  the 
shade  known  by  the  name  of  bastard  scarlet, 
it  withstood  the  action  of  the  air  and  essay 
proof  almost  as  well  a^  that  which  is  commonly 
made  with  cochineal  or  madder. 

If  too  much  composition  be  put  in  the  li- 
quor, the  wool  will  become  of  an  orange  co- 
lour, and  disagreeable.  The  same  thing  also 
happens  with  cochineal,  so  that  this  is  not  an 
inconvenience  peculiar  to  this  die  ;  besides  it 
is  easily  avoided  by  proceeding  gradually  in 
the  addi-ion  of  the  composition,  and  by  put- 
ting a  small  quantity  at  first. 

I  have  tried  the  different  acids  in  this  scar- 
let composition,  but  none  succeeded  well ;  vi- 
negar did  not  give  a  sufficient  redness  to  the  li- 
quor, and  the  stuff  died  in  it  only  took  a  co- 
lour of  lees  of  wine,  which  even  was  not  more 
lasting  in  the  air  than  that  of  the  archil  in  its 
natural  state,  and  other  acids  saddened  the  co- 
lour. In  short,  it  appears  that  (as  m  scarlet 
with  cochineal)  a  metallic  base  extremely  white 
must  be  united  to  the  red  of  the  archil,  and 
this  basis  is  the  calx  of  tin.  I  have  repeated 
the  same  operation  with  the  archil  of  Auvergne, 
but  the  colours  were  not  near  so  fine  or  so 
good. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


OF   LOGV/OOD   0P>.  CAMPEACHV. 


THE  campeachy  wood,  known  under  the 
name  of  logwood,  is  of  great  use  in  the 
lesser  die,  and  it  were  to  be  wished  that  it  vvas 
not  used  in  the  good  die,  for  tn.e  colour  which 
that  wood  produces  loses  it^:  bnghtnfss  in  a 
shore  time,  and  even  di:-.app!^-«rs  in  some  places 
on  being  expo-ed  to  the  air;  the  low  price  of 
thiS  drug  in  some  meas^ire  tolerdtes  its  use^  but 
the  principle  reason  of  us?ng  it  is,  that  by  the 
means  of  different  preparacionb  and  salts  it  af- 
fords a  great  nusnber  of  colo^irs  .md  shades, 
which  are  not  easily  u;aJe  by  the  ingredients  of 
the  good  die  alone.  Yet  :t  is  possible,  a^  I 
have  said  before,  lo  rriake  all  these  colours 
wirhout  the  help  of  logwood  ;  ther  fore  it  was 
proper  to  forbid  theuseofihis  ingi-edienc  in 
the^good  die. 

J_,og\vood  is  necessary  to  sofcen  and  velvet 
the  blacks  \  it  is  th;s  velvet  hue  that  gives  that 
excellency  to  the  Sedan  bhicks.  I  shall  nov/ 
add  soiv-e  little  matter  concerning  the  other  co- 
lours m  which  this  v/ood  is  used,  and  I  shall 


238 


observe,  that  when  any  wood  whatsoever  is 
used  in  dicing,  it  must  be  cut  into  s«nall  sha- 
vings or  chips,  and  put  into  a  bag,  that  it  may 
not  stick  to  the  wool  or  stuffs  ;  for  the  rough 
chip^  v/ill  not  only  tear  the  goods,  but  blot 
them  in  those  places  to  which  thty  stick. 

Logwood  is  UJied  with  galls  and  copperas  for 
all  the  shades  of  grey  which  border  on  the  slate 
or  lavender,  the  pigeon  grey,  the  lead  grey, 
and  such  like.  To  make  these,  a  copper  is 
filled  with  clear  water,  and  a  proper  quantity 
of  galls  is  added  ;  this  must  be  [)ropornoned 
to  the  quantity  of  scuffs  co  be  died,  and  to  the 
depth  of  the  ->hade  required.  A  bag  of  log- 
wood is  put  into  this  liquor,  and  when  the 
whole  has  boiled  and  cooled,  the  stuff  is  dip- 
ped in  it,  adding  by  little  and  little  some  cop- 
peras previously  dissolved  in  water.  1  cannot 
fix  any  exact  proportion  of  ingredirnrs,  as  the 
diers  of  the  lesser  die  are  not  accustor-.^ed  to 
weigh  them  ;  they  work  by  the  eye,  and  their 
business  being  to  match  low  priced  stuffs  for 
linings  of  cloths  tor  which  they  have  the  pat- 
terns, they  first  make  them  lighter  than  is 
wanted,  and  sadden  them  by  ~adding  copperas 
till  they  are  come  to  the  shade  required.  If 
they  find  there  is  not  logwood  sufFicient,  they 
add  more;  they  do  the  same  when  they  have 
several  stuffs  to  pass  through  the  sanne  liquor, 
when  they  find  the  wood  they  have  given  has 
yirided  all  its  die.  This  work  is  not  difficult, 
and  only  requires  practice  to  judge  pretty 
nearly  the  quantity  of  ingredients  to  be  used^ 


^39 


and  to  judge  by  the  stuff,  while  wet,  whether, 
when  dry,  it  would  have  the  intended  colour, 
which  is  done  by  strongly  wringing  the  end, 
and  blowing  on  it  strongly  :  by  this  means, 
the  greatest  part  of  the  humidity,  which  has 
by  twisting  been  brought  to  the  surface  of  the 
stuff,  is  driven  off ;  then  for  an  instant  the  co- 
lour is  seen  pretty  nearly  such  as  it  will  be  when 
dry  i  but  this  must  be  done  by  a  quick  eye, 
for  in  a  moment  after  the  adjacent  moisture  is 
communicated  to  this  dry  place,  and  then  you 
may  be  received. 

A  pretty  fine  violet  is  also  made  with  log- 
wood, by  fiisc  boiling  the  wool  as  usual  with 
alum  and  tartar,  and  afterwards  passing  it 
through  a  liquoi  of  logwood  in  which  a  little 
alua)  is  dissolved.  But  it  is  iviade  much  finer  by 
bluing  and  aluming  the  stuff  first,  then  dipping 
it  in  a  liquor  of  Brazil  mixt  with  a  little  log- 
W(jod  ;  this  violet,  though  ol  the  lesser  die,  is 
much  better  than  the  former,  because  the  blue 
ground  always  sustains  the  colour,  and  makes 
it  more  holding. 

The  logwood  also  affords  a  blue  colour, 
but  it  lasts  so  ill  that  this  wood  is  seldom  used 
for  dicing  blue.  Yet  if  from  curiosity  you 
wish  to  make  a  trial,  you  need  only  prepare  a 
liquor  with  logwood,  and  mix  a  little  Cypius 
or  blue  vitriol  in  it,  and  dip  the  stuffs  in  this 
without  any  other  preparation,  and  you  have  a 
fine  blue. 

By  the  same  means,  green  may  be  m*ade  in 
the  same  liquor.    For  this  purpose,  logwood. 


240 

French  berries  or  q-rains  of  Avia;non  and  ver- 
digrise  are  pur  inco  a  copper;  this  mixture 
gives  the  liquor  a  beautiful  green  colour,  the 
wool  may  be  then  dipt  to  the  height  desired, 
and  may  be  of  any  desired  shade,  by  putting 
'in  more  or  less  of  the  logwood  and  Avignon 
grains.  Bur  this  colour  is  not  better  than  the 
blue,  and  both  ought  to  be  excluded  the  art  of 
dieing  :  I  have  given  the  process,  merely  that 
I  might  omit  nothing  which  came  to  my  know- 
ledge concerning  the  art. 

The  use  to  which  logwood  is  most  com- 
monly applicii  in  the  lesser  die  is  for  plumb, 
prune  colours,  purples  and  their  shades. 

This  wood  joined  wici-i  galls,  readily  gives 
all  its  colours  to  wool  that  has  a  ground  of 
blue;  it  is  saddened  with  a  little  green  coppe- 
ras, which  browns  thcrn,  and  by  this  means 
some  snades  nvdy  be  easily  obtained  which  are 
much  more  difRcult  to  hit  in  the  great  die,  as 
the  different  de2;rees  of  saddenino;  are  much 
more  difficult  to  match  in  a  blue  vat,  than  by 
the  help  of  the  iron  of  the  copperas.  But  these 
colours  fade  away  very  soon  in  the  air,  and  in 
a  few  days  a  great  difference  is  seen  betwren 
the  parts  that  were  exposed  to  the  air  and  those 
that  were  covered. 

Having  experienced,  as  I  said  in  the  pre- 
ceding chapter  that  the  scarlet  composition 
changed  the  colour  of  the  archil,  and  made  it 
more  lasting,  I  tried  what  effect  it  might  pro- 
duce on  the  logwood;  but  vvhat  appeared  sin- 
gular to  me  was,  that  whatsoever  quantity  o 


241 


coriposirion  I  put  into  this  liquor,  it  never  lost 
its  violent  colour.  Being  desirous  to  put  this  to 
a  Further  trial,  I  citd  a  piece  of  cloth  with  log- 
wood, and  put  into  the  liquor  a  quantity  of  com- 
position, pretty  near  equal  to  that  which  I  would 
have  put  for  an  equal  dose  of  archil:  the  cloth 
took  a  pretty  good  violet  colour.  This  cloth 
was  put  in  the  weather  for  twelve  sumnner  days, 
and  the  colour  proved  no  better  than  if  no  com- 
position had  been  used.  By  adding  a  small 
quantity  of  crystals  of  tartar  to  another  liquor 
composed  as  the  former,  I  had  a  more  lasting 
colour,  but  considerably  different. 

The  Raven  Grey. 

The  raven  grey  on  worsted  or  stuffs  is  per- 
formed in  the  following  manner. 

In  a  copper  sufficiently  large  for  sixty  pound 
weight,  dissolve  eight  ounces  of  alum,  and 
work  the  worsted  on  sticks  very  quick  for  the 
space  of  half  an  hour  at  a  boiling  heat  ^  then 
take  it  up,  and  add  to  the  same  liquor  three  or 
four  pounds  of  copperas,  and  work  it  at  a  boil- 
ing heat  for  half  an  hour  longer;  while  this  is 
performing,  the  worsted  must  be  washed,  and 
one  pail  full  of  logwood  chips  must  be  boiled 
in  another  copper  about  twenty  n\inutes;  the 
worsted  must  then  be  turned  very  quick  in  the 
logwood  decoction  about  half  an  hour,  when  it 
must  be  taken  out,  and  returned  about  ten  or 
fifteen  mjnutes  in  the  decoction  of  alum  and 
copperas,  as  at  first.  This  last  operation  is  ab- 

X 


242 


solutely  necessary,  as  it  contributes  much  to  x\ve 
beauty  and  lustre  of  the  colour,  by  discharging 
the  gross  particles  of  the  logwood,  and  leaves 
a  beautiful  raven  grey.  This  process  will  hiAd 
good  for  thin  goods  and  coarse  clo:h,  but  a  Jess 
proportion  of  logwood  will  do. 


CHAPTER  V. 


OF   SAXON   BLUE  AND  GREEN. 

I PLACE  here  among  the  lesser  dies  that  call- 
ed Saxon  blue  and  green,  wiuch  has  been  for 
some  time  greatly  in  fashion,  being  finer  and 
brighter  than  any  blue  or  green  hitherto  known 
either  in  the  greater  or  lesser  die,  but  it  bears 
no  proof,  and  in  twelve  days  exposition  to  the 
sun,  it  loses  a  great  part  of  its  colour. 

Blue  on  Clothe  Stuffs  or  Tarn. 

Put  into  a  glazed  earthen- pot  four  pounds  of 
good  oil  of  vitriol,  with  twelve  ounces  of  choice 
indigo,  very  finely  ground  and  sifted;  stir  this 
chymical  mixture  very  hastily  and  frequently  in 
order  to  excite  a  fermentation,  and  break  the 
lumps  with  a  stick  whose  bark  has  been  strip- 
ped off.  It  is  customary  with  some  diers  to  put 
into  this  composition  a  little  antimony  ur  salt- 


243 


petre,  tartar,  chalk,  alum,  or  other  things;  but 
I  find  it  sufficient  to  mix  the  oil  and  indigo  a- 
lone,  and  the  colours  will  be  finer,  for  those 
neutral  salts  destroy  the  acid  of  the  vitriol  and 
sully  rl]e  colour.  In  twenty-four  hours  it  is  fit 
fji  use;  then  a  copper  of  a  good  size  is  to  be 
filled  with  fair  water,  (into  which  one  peck  of 
bran  is  put  in  a  bag)  and  made  pretty  warm ; 
the  bran,  after  yielding  its  flour,  must  be  taken 
our,  and  the  chymic  mixed  well  with  water,  in 
a  piggin,  is  put  in  according  to  the  shade  re- 
quired, having  first  put  in  a  handful  of  pow- 
dered tartar ;  the  cloth,  &c.  is  to  b  '  well  wet^ 
and  worked  very  qui*  k  over  the  wynch  for  h.df 
an  hour.  The  liquor  must  not  be  made  hotter 
th  n  that  for  madcier  red.  Observe,  the  hoc 
acid  of  the  vitriol  would  cause  the  blue  to  in- 
cline to  green  if  too  much  heat  was  given.  The 
cloth,  stuff,  or  yarn  must  be  turned  in  this  li- 
quor ve^y  q  iick  for  half  an  hour,  and  having 
been  previously  very  well  scoured,  the  colour 
will  be  bniliant  and  fine;  it  is  best  after  wash- 
ing to  dry  this  colour  in  the  shade. 

Chymic  for  Green. 

Eight  ounces  of  indigo  is  sufficient  for  four 
pounds  of  oil  for  green,  because  this  mixture 
works  green  (and  would  even  die  a  pea-green 
if  used  very  hot)  and  therefore  would  not  do 
for  blue.  The  indigo  is  better  suspended  in 
this  mixture  than  in  the  former,  and  is  suppo- 
sed to  go  further  in  green.    The  goods  being 


.  244 

well  srourtxl  are  to  be  alumedi  for  every  twen- 
ty pound  weight,  two  pounds  of  alum  is  to  be 
put  into  a  copper  with  fair  water,  and  the  goods 
boiled  gently  an  hour  and  a  half ;  whilst  this  is 
performing,  another  copper  is  got  ready,  in 
wh.ch  fustic  chips  are  put  to  boll  if  there  are  " 
any  to  die  pea-  green  it  is  be^t  to  die  theni  first, 
not  as  practised  in  some  die- houses,  for  this 
great  reason,  that  when  several  parcels  of  cioods 
have  betn  throu;2,h  the  same  liquor,  there  re  • 
mains  a  scurf  which  the  acid  extracts,  and  that 
is  surr  to  :tick  to  the  ntxr  parcel  that  goes  in; 
and  if  pea-green  was  the  last,  the  colour  would 
btr  dulled  thereby.  The  grtens  (pea-green  ex- 
cepted) are  to  be  turned  about  ten  minutes  in 
tht  alum  liquor  after  they  are  died,  in  order  to 
cle.ir  them  of  the  stuff,  and  render  the  colour 
brighter.  The  alum  liquor  is  not  to  be  hotter 
than  that  the  hand  may  be  borne  in.  Observe, 
if  the  alum  was  put  in  (as  is  custom»ary  in  some 
die-houses)  WM*th  the  fustic,  it  w^ould  retard  its 
working  so  well;  for  alum,  being  an  acid, 
would  discharge  if  used  with,  as  v/ell  as  prepare 
for  fustic. 

The  reader  will  perhaps  think  me  too  tedious 
in  this  process,  and  say  (because  he  is  not  used 
to  this  method)  it  is  a  suprr  fluoub  work  ;  but 
be  assured  that  the  time  lost  in  the  process  will 
be  saved  in  the  fustic,  if  attention  is  paid. 


'H5 


CHAPTER  VI. 


OF  BRAZIL  WOOD. 

UNDER  the  general  name  of  Brazil  wood 
;S  comprehended  that  of  Fv-rr.ambouc, 
St.  Martha,  Japan,  and  some  others  which  I 
shall  not  hert-  distinguish,  since  they  are  all 
iiscjd  a-  tcr  the  same  manner  for  dieing.  Some 
give  greater  variety  of  colours  than  others,  or 
fint^r  i  bur  this  often  proceeds  from  the  parts  of 
thc^  wood  being  more  or  less  exposed  to  the  air, 
or  that  soine  parts  of  it  may  be  rotted.  The 
soundest  or  highest  in  colour  are  to  be  chosen 
for  dieing. 

All  those  woods  give  a  tolerable  good  colour,, 
either  used  alone,  mixt  with  logwood,  or  with 
other  colouring  ingredients.  It  has  been  shewn, 
that,  in  the  false  or  bastard  violet,  a  little  Bra- 
zil was  added  to  the  logwood;  but  in  the  vinous 
greys,  or  those  which  have  a  case  of  the  red,  a 
grt*at  deal  more  is  used.  S-jmetiiru  s  only,  a 
small  quantity  of  galls  is  put  with  the  Br  azil, 
ani  It  is  saddened  with  copperas;  often  also 
with  lo::;wood,  archil,  or  s  me  other  ingredient, 
it  iS  added  according  o  the  shade,  from,  whe-nce. 
it  IS  not  possible  to  give  ariv  fixed  rule  for  this 
kind  of  woik,  on  account  of  the  infinite  varie- 

X  2 


246 


ry  of  shades  which  are  obtained  from  these  dif- 
ferenr  mixtures. 

The  natural  colour  of  the  Brazil,  and  for 
which  it  is  most  used,  is  the  false  scarlet,  which 
appears  fine  and  bright,  but  far  inferior  to  the 
brightness  of  the  cochineal  or  gum  lacque. 

To  extract  the  colour  from  this  wood,  the 
hardc-sc  water,  ^uch  as  will  not  dissolve  soap, 
must  be  made  use  of,  for  river  water  has,  not 
nearly  so  good  an  effect  ;  it  must  be  cut  into 
chips  and  boiled  for  three  hours;  the  water  is 
then  taken  out  and  put  into  a  large  vessel,  an-d 
fresh  well-water  put  on  the  wood  and  boiled  a- 
gain  for  three  hours this  water  is  added  to  the 
first. 

This  liquor,  which  is  called  juice  of  Brazil, 
must  be  old  and  fermented,  and  rope  like  an 
oily  wine,  before  it  is  fit  for  use.  To  extract 
a  bright  red  from  it,  the  stufT  must  be  filled 
with  the  salts  of  the  common  liquor  of  prrpa- 
ration,  but  the  alum  must  predominate,  for  the 
tartar  alone,  and  also  sour  water,  greatly  spoils 
the  beauty  of  this  colour  :  in  short,  acids  are 
hurtful  to  it,  and  dissolve  its  red  colouring 
part.  Four  ounces  of  alum  for  each  pound  01 
stuff  is  to  be  added  to  the  liquor,  and  only  two 
ounces  of  tartar,  or  even  less.  The  wool  is  to 
be  boiled  in  it  for  three  hours  s  it  is  then  taken 
out  and  gently  wrung,  and  thus  kept  moist  for 
eicrht  days  at  least,  that  by  the  salts  being  re« 
tained  it  may  be  sufficiently  prepared  to  receive 
the  die.  To  die  with  this,  one  or  two  pails  full 
of  the  old  juice  of  Brazil  is  put  into  a  conve« 


247 


nient  copper,  and  well  scummed.  Dip  the 
stuff  which  has  remained  eight  or  ten  days 
moistened  in  the  preparing  liquor,  and  it  rnust 
be  well  worked  in  it  without  making  the  liquor 
boil  too  strongly,  until  it  be  smoothly  and  e- 
qually  died.  Care  must  be  taken  to  wring  a 
corner  of  this  stuff  now  and  then,  as  I  have  al- 
ready said,  to  judge  of  its  colour,  for,  whilst 
wet,  it  appears  at  least  three  shades  deeper  than 
when  dry.  By  this  method,  which  is  somewhat 
tedious,  very  bright  reds  are  made,  perfectly 
imitating  certain  colours  the  English  sell  under 
the  name  of  Campeachy  scarlets,  which,  by  the 
proof  of  dies,  are  not  found  to  be  better  than 
this,  only  that  they  seem  to  have  been  lightly 
maddered. 

This  red,  of  which  I  have*  given  the  process, 
anJ  which  is  no  where  else  described,  withstands 
the  weather  three  or  four  months  in  the  winter, 
without  losing  any  of  its  shade;  on  the  contra- 
ry, it  saddens,  and  seems  to  acquire  a  ground, 
but  it  does  not  stand  the  proof  of  tartar. 

Some  diers  of  the  great  die  use  Brazil  to 
heighten  the  red  of  madder,  either  to  save  this 
root,  or  make  irs  red  more  bright  than  usual. 
This  is  done  by  dipping  in  a  Brazil  liquor  a 
stuff,  begun  with  the  madder,  but  this  kind  of 
fraudulent  die  is  expressly  forbid  by  the  French 
regulations,  as  well  as  any  mixture  of  the  great 
die  with  the  lesser,  because  it  can  only  serve  to 
cheat,  and  to  pass  for  a  fine  madder  red,  a  co- 
lour which  in  a  few  days  loses  all  its  brightness 
along  with  the  shade,  which  has  been  drawn 


248 

froai  the  Brazil,  prepared  in  the  comnaon  man- 
ner. 

The  first  colour  extracted  from  this  wood  is 
nor  of  a  good  die,  probably  because  it  is  an  in- 
digested sap,  and  whose  colouring  particles  have 
not  been  sufficiently  attenuated  to  be  retained 
and  sufficiently  fixed  in  the  pores  of  the  wool 
died  in  ir.  When  these  first  gross  parts  of  the 
colour  have  been  carried  off^,  those  that  remain 
in  small  quantity  are  finer,  and  mixing  them- 
selves to  the  yellow  parts,  which  are  furnished 
by  the  pure  woody  parts,  the  red  resulting  from 
it  is  more  lasting. 

By  the  means  of  acids^  of  what  kind  soever, 
all  the  red  colour  of  this  wood  is  carried  off'or 
disappears ;  then  the  stuff  that  is  died  by  it 
takes  a  hind  coloifr,  more  or  less  deep  in  pro- 
portion to  the  time  ic  is  kept  in  the  liquor,  and 
this  colour  is  of  a  very  good  die. 

It  is  said  that  the  dicrrs  of  Amboise  have  a 
method  of  binding  the  Brazil  colour  in  this 
manner;  after  their  stufi^s  lighdy  maddcred  have 
been  parsed  through  a  liquor  of  weld,  and  con- 
sequently boiled  twice  in  alum  and  tartar,  they 
put  arsenic  and  pearl-ashes  in  the  juice  of  Bra- 
zil, and  it  is  asserted  that  this  colour  then  re- 
sists the  proofs;  I  (ried  this  process,  but  it  did 
not  succeed. 

Whrn  a  very  bright  red  is  required  from  the 
Brazil,  I  know  by  experience  that  it  is  possible 
to  insure  the  colour  drawn  from  ir  after  ^uch  a 
manner  that,  having  exposed  it  thirty  days  to 
the  rays  of  the  sumnjer's  sun,  it  will  not  change^ 


249 


bur  these  kind  of  colours  are  coffee  and  chesnuc 
purples. 

To  make  these,  I  kv^'ep  the  stuff  moistened 
in  its  liquor  in  a  cellar  for  fifteen  days;  this  li- 
quor is  prepared  as  for  the  reds,  of  which  I  have 
heretofore  spoken;  I  fill  a  copper  to  two- thirds 
with  well  water,  and  the  remaining  third  up 
with  Brazil  juice,  to  which  I  add  about  one  oz. 
of  Aleppo  galls  in  very  fine  powder  to  every 
pound  of  stuff,  and  then  boil  it  one  or  two 
hours,  as  I  want  the  shade  to  be  in  deepness: 
the  stuff  is  aired  from  time  to  tim.e,  and  when 
it  has  taken  the  colour  desired,  it  is  well  cooled 
before  it  rs  washed.  This  stuff  being  brushed, 
the  nap  layed,  and  cold  pressed^  comes  out  ve- 
ry fine  and  very  smooth. 


CHAPTER  VIL 


OF  FUSTIC. 

THE  fustic  gives  sn  orange  colour  that  is 
not  lasting;  it  is  coir»mon]y  used  in  the 
lesser  die,  like  the  roots  or  husks  of  walnuts, 
without  boiling  the  stuff,  so  that  it  is  easily  ma- 
naged. It  is  often  mixed  with  walnut  husks 
and  weld:  to  make  tobacco  and  cinnamiOn  co- 
lours, and  other  like  sha'U\^.  B^it  this  wood  is 
a  very  bad  ingredient,  for  ics  colour  being  ex- 


250 

posed  to  the  air  for  a  very  short  time  loses  all 
its  brightness  and  the  greatest  part  of  its  yellow 
shade. 

If  a  stuff  died  with  fustic  is  dipped  in  the 
woad  vat,  a  disa^^reeable  olive  ensues*  which 
does  not  h^sist  the  air,  but  soon  loses  its  colour. 

I  have  already  said  that  lustic  vvas  made  use 
of  in  Languedoc  for  making  of  lobsrer  colours 
for  foreign  markets,  as  it  greatly  saves  cochi- 
neal. For  this  purpose  they  mix  v/eld,  fustic, 
and  cochineal,  with  a  little  cream  of  tartar,  in 
the  sa?iie  liquor,  and  the  srufF  boded  in  this  li- 
quor comis  out  of  a  lohsa-r  coiour,  and  accord- 
ingly, to  the  quantitv  of  these  different  ingre- 
dients, it  becomes  more  or  less  red,  tending  to 
the  orange.  Although  the  method  of  mixtog 
together  ingredients  of  the  good  with  those  of 
the  le  sser  die  ought  to  be  condemned,  yet  in  this 
ca>e,  and  for  this  colour  onlv,  which  is  in  con- 
siderable demand  in  the  Mediterranean,  it  ap- 
pears that  the  fustic  may  be  tolerated ;  for  ha- 
ving attempted  to  make^the  sam.e  colour,  with 
only  the  ingredients  of  the  good  die,  I  did  not 
get  a  more  lasting  colour. 

The  chan,e,e  which  the  air  produces  in  the 
lobster  colour  made  with  fustic  is  very  sensi  >Ie, 
but  it  is  not  so  disagreeable  as  the  changes  in- 
cident to  several  other  colours;  for  all  the  sl^ade 
goe^s  off  and  wrakens  at  once,  so  that  it  is  ra- 
ther diminution  tiian  a  change  or  colour;  where- 
as the  lobster  colour  made  with  the  yellow  wood 
becomes  of  a  chcri-y  colour. 


CHAPTER  VIL 


OF  ROUCOU. 

THE  roucou  or  racoiirt  is  a  kind  of  dry 
pasre  brought  from  America;  this  ingre- 
dient gives  an  orange  colour  pretty  near  the 
same  as  the  fu^tlc,  and  the  die  is  not  more  last- 
ing. However  it  is  not  by  the  proof  alum  that 
the  quality  of  the  oucou  is  to  be  judged,  for 
this  does  not  in  the  least  alter  its  colour;  on  the 
contrary,  /t  her  o  nes  finer  and  brighter,  but  the 
air  carries  it  off,  and  efTac-s  it  in  i  short  tin^c; 
soap  has  the  same  effect,  and  it  is  by  this  it 
must  be  tried  according  to  the  instructions  on 
these  kind  of  proofs.  The  place  of  this  ingre- 
dient is  easily  siip[>lied  in  the  good  die  by  v/c\d 
and  madder  mixt  i  together,  but  roucou  is  marie 
use  of  in  the  lesser  die  after  the  following  man- 
ner. 

Pearl-ashes  are  dissolved  in  a  copper  with  a 
sufficit^nt  quantity  of  water;  it  is  well  boiled 
for  one  hour,  that  the  ashes  may  be  totally  dis- 
solved ;  then  as  irjany  pounds  of  roucou  as  there 
are  of  ashes,  ire  added;  the  liquor  is  well  ra- 
ked and  suffered  to  boil  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour; 
thi  wool  or  stuffs  that  are  to  be  died  are  then 
dipped  without  any  preparation,  except  dipping 


252 


thfm  in  luke-vvarm  water,  that  the  colour  may 
spread  itself  equally. 

They  are  left  in  this  liquor,  working  them 
continually  until  they  are  come  to  the  desired 
shade,  after  which  they  are  washed  and  dried. 

The  roucou  is  often  mixed  with  other  ingre- 
dients of  the  lesser  die,  but  1  cannot  give  any 
instructions  on  these  mixtures,  as  they  depend 
on  the  shades  you  wish  to  make,  and  are  in 
themselves  artrnded  with  no  difficulty. 

I  have  boiled  the  stulF  in  alum  and  tartar  be- 
fore I  died  it  with  roucou,  but  though  the  co- 
lour was  more  lasting  it  was  not  sufficiently  so 
to  be  deemed  of  the  good  die.  On  the  whole, 
the  roucou  is  a  very  bad  ingredient  for  dicing 
of  woo!,  and  is  not  made  much  use  of,  for  it.  is 
dear,  and  other  ingredients,  that  are  cheaper 
and  hold  better,  are  used  in  its  stead. 

Wool  died  with  roucou,  and  afterwards  dipt 
in  the  indigo  or  woa-l  vat,  takes  a  reddish  o- 
Jivt,  which  in  a  very  short  time  becomes  almost 
blue  in  the  air,  the  colour  given  by  the  roucou 
disappearing. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

OF   THE   GRAINS  OF  AVIGNON. 

THE  grains  of  Avignon  are  but  little  used 
in  dic^ing,  they  give  a  pretty  good  yellow, 
but  not  lasting,  no  more  than  the  green,  pro- 


253 


duced  by  dipping  in  the  same  liquor,  a  stuff 
chat  has  a  ground  of  blue.  To  work  it,  the 
stuff  must  be  boiled  in  alum  and  tartar  as  for 
weld.  Then  a  fresh  liquor  is  made  with  these 
grains,  and  the  stuff  is  dipt,  and  must  lie  in  it 
longer  or  shorter,  according  to  the  shade  that 
is  wanted.  There  is  no  difficulty  in  working 
of  it,  so  I  need  only  observe  that  it  ought  ne- 
ver to  be  used  but  when  all  other  ingredients 
for  dieing  yellow  are  wanting;  this  must  seldom 
happen,  as  they  are  neither  scarce  nor  dear. 


CHAPTER  X. 


OF  TURMERIC. 

THE  turmeric  is  a  root  that  is  brought 
from  the  East  Indies ;  that  which  comes 
frOiH  Patna  is  most  valued.  The  Indian  diers 
call  ic  haleli\  it  is  also  called  concome  in  the  re- 
gulations of  M.  Colbert.  Ic  is  reduced  to  a 
very  fine  powder,  and  used  pretty  near  the  same 
way  as  the  grain  of  Avignon,  but  in  much  less 
quantity,  on  account  of  its  yielding  a  great 
deal  of  die.  It  is  somewhat  better  than  the 
other  yellow  ingredients  spoken  of  in  the  pre- 
ceding chapter,  but,  as  it  is  dear,  it  is  a  suffi- 
cient reason  for  seldom  or  never  using  it  in  the 
lesser  die. 

Y 


^54 

It  is  sometimes  used  in  the  great  die  to  gild 
the  yellows  made  with  weld,  and  to  brighten 
and  orange  the  scarlets i  but  this  practice  is  to 
be  condemned  ;  for  the  air  carries  off  all  the  co- 
lour of  the  turmeric  in  a  short  time,  so  that 
the  gilded  yellows  return  to  their  first  state,  and 
the  scarlets  brown  considerably ;  when  this  hap- 
pens to  these  sort  of  colours,  it  may  be  looked 
on  as  certain  that  they  have  been  falsified  with 
this  ingredient,  which  is  not  lasting. 

I  omit  speaking  of  safi'ron,  which  may  also 
be  made  use  of  to  die  yellow,  but  which  1  be- 
lieve is  not  usedi  first,  on  account  of  its  being 
dear;  and  secondly,  because  its  yellow  is  still 
worse  than  those  of  the  two  preceding  ingre- 
dients. 

This  is  all  that  remains  for  me  to  say  on  the 
ingredients  of  the  lesser  die,  they  arc  only  to  be 
used  for  common  and  low-priced  stuffs.  It  is 
not  that  I  think  it  impossible  to  extract  lasting 
colours  from  them,  but  then  those  colours  will 
not  scricrly  be  the  same  which  these  ingredients 
yield  naturally,  or  by  the  ordinary  methods,  as 
that  gum  and  ascriction  which  is  wanting  in 
them  must  be  added,  and  then  they  are  no  more 
of  the  same  quality ;  consequently  the  rays  of 
light  will  be  diff'crenily  reflected,  and  the  colour 
will  be  different. 


255 


CHAPTER  XL 


OF  SILVER  GREY. 

FOR  pearl  colour  or  silver  grey,  to  die  forty 
pounds  of  woollen  cloth  or  worsted,  boil 
in  a  sinall  copper  four  pounds  of  logwood  chips 
for  half  an  hour,  add  to  it  six  ounces  of  pearl- 
ashes,  and  oiix  them  well  together;  while  this 
is  performing,  (having  the  worsted  well  scour- 
ed and  parcelled  in  hanks  on  the  die-sticks) 
heat  a  great  copper  with  clean  water,  and  put 
one  peck  of  wheat  bran  in  a  bag  into  the  cop- 
per; let  it  remain  with  often  stirring  about  an 
hour;  when  the  water  begins  to  boil,  put  in 
three  ounces  of  alum,  which  will  throw  the 
filth  of  the  water  to  the  top,  when  it  must  be 
taken  off  with  the  bowl ;  wash  the  worsted  in 
this  liquor  about  forty  minutes,  when  it  must 
be  taken  up,  and  three  or  four  pails  of  the  log-- 
wood  liquor  added  to  the  alum  water.  The 
goods  must  then  be  worked  very  quick  for  forty 
minutes,  when  you  may  add  more  logwood  li- 
quor if  you  see  occasion.  Great  care  must  be 
taken  after  washing  to  dry  this  colour  in  the 
shade,  or  it  will  perhaps  change. 

Some  die  this  colour  in  one  liquor  and  boil 
the  logwood  in  a  bag.  This  process  is  less  te- 
dious, but  I  prefer  the  former.  It  will  be  well 


256 


for  the  dier  to  take  notice,  that  if  too  great 
quantity  of  alum  or  ashtfs  are  used  herein,  the 
colour  will  be  imperfect;  for  the  alum,  if  used  - 
in  a  right  proportion,  gives  that  biooiii  to  the 
good  Vr-hich  ib  necessary  for  a  pearl ;  if  too 
much,  the  contrary  would  happen.  The  ashes 
also,  if  used  in  too  great  quantity,  would 
make  the  colour  too  red  ;  this  may  seem  a  con- 
tradiction, because  the  ashes  are  in  alkali,  bur 
practice  will  teach  the  truth. 

Another  excellent  Silver  Die. 

For  twenty  pounds  weight  of  cloth  or  wor- 
sted, eight  ounces  of  alum  and  twelve  pounds 
of  fenugreek  must  boil  with  the  goods  half  an 
hour;  then  t.dce  it  up,  and  add  one  pound  of 
pearl-ashrs  and  eight  ounces  of  Brazil  wood  ; 
boil  them  gently  with  the  goods  half  an  hours 
rince  it  and  you  have  a  beautiful  colour. 


INSTRUCTIONS 

ON  THE  PROOF 

OF  DIED  WOOL  AND  WOOLLEN 
STUFFS. 

AS  It  has  been  found  that  the  methods  pre-- 
scribed  for  the  proof  of  dies,  by  the  thirty- 
seventh  article  of  the  French  regulations  for 


^57 


the  diers  in  the  good  die,  of  cloth,  serges,  and 
ocher  woollen  stufis  made  in  1669,  and  by  ar- 
ticle 220  of  the  general  inscriictions  for  the 
dieing  of  woo!  of  all  colours,  and  for  the  cul- 
ture of  drugs  and  ingredients  therein  used  made 
in  1671,  were  insufficient  for  an  exact  judg- 
ment  of  the  goodness  or  falsity  of  several  co- 
lours, that  they  might  sometimes  lead  into  er- 
ror, and  leave  room  for  disputes,  different  ex- 
periments have  been  made  by  the  French  king's 
order  on  wool  designed  for  the  m.anufactare  of 
tapestry  to  ascertain  the  degree  of  goodness  of 
each  colour,  and  the  most  convincing  proofs  of 
each. 

For  this  purpose.  Pine  wool  was  died  in  dif- 
ferent colours  both  in  the  great  and  lesser  die, 
and  exposed  to  the  air  and  sun  during  a  proper 
time;  the  good  colours  kept  themselves  per- 
fectly, and  the  false  ones  were  carried  off  more 
or  less  according  to  their  bad  quality;  and  as 
a  coloui  IS  only  to  be  accounted  good  inasmuch 
as  It  resists  the  action  of  the  air  and  sun,  this 
proof  served  as  a  rule  to  decide  the  goodness  of 
different  colours. 

Afcer  tiiis,  several  proofs  were  made  on  the 
same  wool  whose  patterns  had  been  exposed  to 
the  air  and  sun,  and  it  was  immediately  found 
that  the  same  trials  could  not  be  indifferently 
used  in  proving  of  all  colours ;  for  it  often 
happened  that  one  colour,  known  to  be  good 
by  exposition  to  the  air,  was  considerably 
changed  by  the  essay  proof,  and  that  a  false 
colour  stood  the  same  proof. 

Y  2 


—  258 

These  experiments  exploded  lemon  juice, 
vinegar,  sour  waters,  and  strong  waters,  as  ic 
was  impossible  to  ascertain  the  degree  of  aci- 
dity of  these  liquors  3  and  ic  appeared  chat  the 
surest  mechod  is  co  use  ingredients  with  com- 
mon water,  whose  effects  are  always  equal. 

In  following  this  plan,  it  has  been  judged 
necessary  to  divide  into  three  classes  all  the  co- 
lours in  which  wool  is  died,  either  in  the 
great  or  lesser  die,  and  to  fix  the  ingredients 
chat  are  to  be  made  use  of  in  the  essay  proofs  of 
the  colours,  comprehended  in  each  of  these 
three  classes. 

The  colours  comprehended  in  the  first  class 
are  to  undergo  the  proof  of  Roman  alum, 
those  of  the  second  with  white  soap,  and  those 
of  the  third  with  red  tartar. 

But  it  is  nor  sufficient  to  be  assured  of  the 
goodness  of  a  colour  by  using  in  the  proof,  in- 
gredients whose  effect  may  always  be  equal  ; 
it  is  also  necessary,  that  not  only  the  duration 
of  this  trial  be  exactly  determined,  but  even 
the  quantity  of  water  fixed ;  for  the  proportion 
of  water  considerably  augments  or  diminishes 
the  activity  of  the  ingredients  which  are  put 
into  it.  The  method  of  proceeding  in  these 
different  proofs  shall  beset  forth  in  the  follow- 
ing articles  : 


259 


Article  I. 

The  proof  of  Roman  Alum  must  be  made  as 
follows : 

One  pound  of  water  and  half  an  ounce  of 
alum  are  co  be  put  in  an  earthen  vessel  or  pan. 
The  vessel  is  to  be  placed  on  the  fire,  and 
when  the  water  boils  strongly,  the  wool  is  put 
in  and  left  to  boil  for  five  minutes,  after  which 
it  is  to  be  taken  out  and  washed  in  cold  water ; 
the  weight  of  the  pattern  of  wool  must  be  a 
drachm  or  thereabouts. 

IL — When  several  patterns  are  to  undergo 
the  proof  together,  the  quantity  of  water  and 
alum  is  to  be  doubled,  or  even  trippled,  which 
will  no  ways  change  the  strength  or  effect  of 
the  proof,  if  you  observe  the  same  proportion 
of  water  and  alum,  so  that  for  each  pound  of 
water  there  may  be  one  ounce  of  alum. 

III.— To  render  the  effect  of  the  proof  more 
certain,  care  must  be  taken  not  to  try  together 
wool  of  different  colours. 

IV. 

The  Proof  with  White  Soap  is  to  be  made  after 
the  following  Manner  : 

To  one  pound  of  water  add  two  drachms  of 
white  soap,  and  place  the  vessel  on  the  fire  ^ 
stir  it  with  a  stick  that  the  soap  may  be  tho« 


26  Q 


jroughly  dissolved;  whcrn  it  js  so,  and  the  Vv^a- 
ter  boils  strongly,  the  woollen  pattern  is  put 
in,  which  is  to  boil  for  fiv^e  minutes. 

V.  — When  several  patterns  are  to  undergo 
this  proo^  the  same  method  is  to  be  ob'bcrved 
as  in  the  second  article,  that  is,  to  put  to  each 
pound  of  water  two  drachms  of  soap. 

VI.  — The  proof  with  red  tartar  must  be  ex- 
actly the  same,  with  the  same  proportions  as 
the  proof  with  alum,  taking  care  that  the  tar- 
tar is  finely  powdered  and  well  dissolved  in  the 
water  before  the  pattern  is  put  in. 

VIL — The  following  colours  are  to  be  pro- 
ved v*^ith  Roman  alum,  viz.  crimson  of  ail 
shades,  Venetian  scarlet,  fiame  colour  or  com- 
mon scarlet,  cherry  colour  and  other  shades  of 
scarlet,  violets  and  gris-de-Hn  of  all  shades^ 
purples,  lobster,  pomegranate,  slate  greys,  la- 
vender greys,  violet  greys,  vinous  greys,  and 
all  other  like  shades. 

VIII.— If,  contrary  to  the  orders  of  the  re» 
gulations  on  dieing>  any  ingredients  of  the  false 
die  have  been  made  use  of  for  fine  wool  died 
in  cricnson,  the  cheat  will  be  easily  found  out 
by  the  proof  of  alum,  for  it  changes  the  fine 
crimson  a  little  on  the  violet,  that  is,  makrs  it 
border  a  little  on  the  gris  de-liny  but  it  de- 
stroys the  highest  shades  of  the  bastard  crim- 
son y  thus  this  proof  is  a  sure  method  to  dis- 
tinguish false  crimson  from  fine. 


IX.  . — Scarlet  of  keraies  or  grain,  commonly 
called  Vcnedan  scarier,  is  no  wise  preju  iiced 
by  this  proof;  it  raises  tiie  fire-coiour  scarlet  to 
a  purple,  and  gives  a  violet  colour  to  the 
lighter  shades,  so  that  they  border  on  the  gris- 
dc-hny  but  it  carries  ofF  the  greatest  part  of 
the  false  Brazil  scarlet,  and  brings  it  to  an 
onion-peel  colour  ;  it  has  yet  a  more  sensible 
effect  on  the  lighrer  shades  of  this  false  co- 
lour. 

The  same  proof  carries  off  almost  entirely 
the  scarlet  of  flock  and  its  shade. 

X.  — Though  the  violet  is  not  a  simple  co- 
lour, but  formed  of  blue  and  red  shades,  it  is 
nevertheless  of  so  much  consequence  as  to  m.e- 
rit  a  particular  inquiry. 

The  same  proof  with  Roman  alum  has 
scarcely  any  effect  on  the  fine  violet,  v^'hereas  it 
considerably  alters  the  false ;  but  it  must  be 
observed,  that  it  does  not  always  equally  carry 
off  a  great  part  of  the  shade  of  the  false  violet, 
because  this  colour  has  sometimes  a  ground  of 
woad  or  indigo  :  now  this  ground  being  of  the 
good  die,  is  not  carried  off  by  the  proof,  but 
the  redness  goes  off,  and  the  brown  shades 
become  alm.ost  blue,  and  t,he  pale  ones  of  the 
colour  of  Jees  of  wine. 

XL — With  regard  to  half  fine  violets,  for- 
bidden  by  the  present  regulations,  they  must 
be  ranked  in  the  class  of  false  Vioiets,  and  do 
not  stand  the  proo''. 


262 


XII.  — The  fine  grts-de-lin  inay  be  knowrf 
from  che  false  by  the  same  method,  the  dif- 
ference is  but  trifling;  the  gris^de  lin  of  the 
good  die  loses  a  little  less  than  that  of  the 
false. 

XIII.  — Fine  purples  entirely  resist  the  proof 
with  alum,  whereas  the  false  entirely  lose  the 
greatest  part  of  their  colour. 

XIV.  — Lobster  colours  and  pomegranate 
strike  on  the  purple  after  the  proof,  if  they 
have  been  made  with  cochineal^  whereas  they 
will  pale  greatly  if  fustic  has  been  used  i  the 
use  of  which  is  prohibited, 

XV.  — Blues  of  the  good  die  will  lose  no- 
thing in  the  proof,  whether  of  woad  or  indigo ; 
but  those  of  the  lesser  die  will  lobe  the  greatest 
part  of  their  colour. 

XVL— The  slate  greys,  lavender  greys,  vi- 
olet greys,  and  vinous  greys,  lose  almost  all 
their  colour  if  they  are  of  the  false  die;  where- 
as they  perfectly  maintain  it,  if  of  the  good. 

XVII.  — The  proofs  of  the  following  colours 
are  to  be  made  with  white  soap  :  yellow,  jon- 
quill  or  lemon  colour,  orange,  and  all  the 
shades  of  yellow;  all  green  shades  from  the 
yellovv  green  or  light  green,  to  the  cabbage  or 
parrot  green,  the  reds  of  madder,  cinnamon^ 

^  ^    tobacco,  and  such  like. 

XVIII.  — This  proof  perfectly  shows  if  the 
yellows  and  other  shades  derived  from  it  are  of 


263 

a  good  or  false  die  ;  for  it  carries  off  the  greatest 
part  of  their  colour  if  they  have  been  made 
with  grains  of  Avignon,  roucou,  turmeric, 
fustic,  or  saffron,  whose  use  is  prohibited 
for  fine  dies,  but  it  no  ways  impairs  the  yel- 
lows made  with  savory,  dicr's  wood,  yellow 
wood,  weld,  or  fenugreek. 

XIX.  — The  same  proof  will  also  show  the 
goodness  of  greens,  as  those  of  the  false  die 
lose  most  of  their  colour,  or  become  blue  if  they 
have  a  ground  of  woad  or  indigo;  whereas 
those  of  the  good  die  lose  almost  nothing  of 
their  shade,  but  remain  green. 

XX.  — The  reds  of  pure  madder  lose  no- 
thing by  the  soap  proof,  on  the  contrary  be- 
come finer,  but  if  Brazil  wood  has  been  used, 
they  lose  their  colour  in  proportion  to  the  quan- 
tity of  it  in  the  composition  of  the  die. 

XXI.  — Cinnamon,  snuff  colours,  and  others 
of  this  cast,  are  scarcely  altered  by  this  proof, 
if  of  the  good  die,  but  they  lose  considerably 
if  roucou,  fustic,  or  dissolved  flock  has  been 
made  use  of. 

XXII.  — The  proof  of  alum  would  be  of  no 
use,  and  might  even  lead  us  into  errors  with 
regard  to  several  colours  belonging  to  this  se- 
cond class,  for  it  no  ways  alters  the  fustic  nor 
the  roucou,  which  nevertheless  do  not  with- 
stand the  action  of  the  air  ;  on  the  other  hand, 
it  carries  off  a  great  part  of  the  savory  and  of 


264 


the  dier's  wood,  which  are  very  good  yellows 
and  greens. 

XXIII.  — All  the  brown  or  root  colours 
should  undergo  the  proof  with  red  tartar.  The 
diers  call  by  this  name  all  colours  that  are  not 
derived  from  the  five  primary  colours  ;  they  are 
made  with  rinds  and  roots  of  walnut,  alder- 
bark,  sumach  or  roudoul,  santal  and  soot ;  each 
of  these  ingredients  gives  a  great  variety  of 
shades,  which  are  all  comprehended  under  the 
general  name  of  brown  or  root  colour. 

XXIV.  — The  above-named  ingredients  in 
the  preceding  article  are  good,  except  the  san- 
tal and  soot,  which  are  not  quite  so  good,  and 
make  the  wool  stiff  when  too  great  a  quantity 
is  used,  so  that  all  this  proof  can  show  on  these 
kind  of  colours,  is,  whether  too  much  santal 
or  soot  has  been  put  into  them  ;  in  this  case 
they  lose  considerably  by  the  proof  with  tar- 
tar;  but  if  made  with  other  ingredients,  with 
only  a  moderate  quantity  of  santal  or  soot,  they 
stand  a  great  deal  better. 

XXV.  — Black  is  the  only  colour  which  can- 
not be  comprehended  in  any  of  the  three  clas- 
ses above-mentioned,  and  a  much  more  active 
proof  must  be  made  use  of.  To  know  if  the 
wool  has  had  a  deep  ground  of  blue,  conform- 
able to  the  regulations,  the  proof  is  to  be  made 
in  the  following  manner:  take  a  pint  or  pound 
of  water,  one  ounce  of  tartar,  and  the  same 


265 


quantity  of  Roman  alum  well  powdered  ;  boil 
it,  and  then  put  in  the  pattern ;  let  it  boil 
strongly  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  and  after- 
wards wash  it  in  cold  water;  you  will  then 
easily  know  if  it  has  had  the  proper  blue 
ground,  for  if  so,  the  wool  will  remain  of  a 
dark  blue  almost  black;  if  not,  it  will  turn 
very  grey. 

XXVI.  — It  is  common  to  brown  certain  co- 
lours with  galls  and  copperas this  operation 
is  called  browning,  which  is  to  be  permitted 
in  the  good  die ;  but  as  this  may  cause  a  par- 
ticular effect  in  proving  of  these  colours,  it  is 
to  be  observed  that  although  the  proof  liquor 
appears  loaded  with  die  as  the  browning  is  car- 
ried oft,  the  wool  must  be  reputed  of  a  good 
die  if  it  still  preserves  its  ground  ;  if  on  the 
contrary  it  loses  it,  it  is  then  deemed  to  be  of 
the  false  die. 

XXVII.  — Although  the  browning,  which 
is  made  of  galls  and  copperas,  if  of  the  good 
die,  yet,  as  it  hardens  the  wool,  it  is  better  to 
make  use  of  the  indigo  or  woad  vat  in  prefe- 
rence. 

XXVIII.  — Common  greys  made  with  galls 
and  copperas  are  not  to  undergo  any  of  these 
proofs,  because  these  colours  are  of  the  good 
die,  and  are  not  otherways  made;  but  it  is  to 
be  observed,  that  they  are  first  to  be  passed 

Z 


266 


through  the  liquor  of  galls,  and  afterwards 
through  a  second  liquor,  containing  the  cop- 
peras, which  must  be  much  cooler  than  the 
firsts  for  by  this  method  they  are  made  finer 
and  more  lasting. 


267 


THE 

DIER'S  ASSISTANT. 
PART  III. 

ADDITIONAL  ARTICLES. 

CHAPTER  I. 

OF  FLOWERS.. 

AMONG  the  infinite  variety  of  colours 
which  glow  in  the  flowers  of  plants,  there 
are  very  few  which  have  any  durability,  or 
whose  fugitive  beauty  can  be  arrested  by  art, 
so  as  to  be  applied  to  any  valuable  purposes. 
The  only  permanent  ones  are  the  yellow.  The 
red,  the  blue,  and  all  the  internnediate  shades 
of  purples,  crimsons,  violets,  &c.  are  extremely 
perishable.  Many  of  these  flowers  lose  their 
colour  on  being  barely  dried  ;  especially  if  they 
arc  dried  slowly,  as  has  been  usually  directed, 
in  a  shady  and  not  warm  place*  The  colours 
of  all  of  them  perish  on  keeping,  even  in  the 


268 


closest  vessels.  The  more  hastily  they  are 
dried,  and  the  more  perfeflly  they  are^ secured 
from  the  air,  the  longer  they  retain  their  beau- 
ty. The  colouring  matter,  extradted  and  ap- 
plied on  certain  bodies,  is  still  more  perishable  : 
often  times  it  is  changed  or  destroyed  in  the 
hand  of  the  operator. 

Of  Blue  Flowers. 

The  colour  of  many  blue  flowers  is  extrafted 
by  infusion  in  water,  but  there  are  some  from 
which  water  gains  only  a  reddish  or  a  purplish 
hue.  Of  those  that  have  been  tried,  there  is  not 
one  which  gives  any  blue  tincture  to  spiritous 
liquot  s  :  some  give  no  colour  at  all,  and  some  a 
reddish  one.  The  juice  prest  out  from  the 
fresh  flowers  is  for  the  most  part  blue. 

The  bluejuices  and  infusions  are  changed  red 
by  all  acids  ^  the. marine  acid  seems  to  stril^e  the 
most  florid  red.  The  flowers  themselves,  ma- 
cerated in  acid  liquors,  impart  also  a  deep  red 
tinfture.  Alkalis,  both  fixed  and  volatile,  and 
lime  water,  change  them  to  a  green.  Those  in- 
fusions or  juices,  which  have  nothing  of  the  na- 
tive colour  of  the  flower,  sufi^er  the  same  chan- 
ges from  the  addition  of  acid  and  alkaline  li- 
quors ;  even  when  the  flowers  have  been  kept 
till  their  colour  is  lost,  infusions  made  from 
them  acquire  still  a  red  colour  from  the  one, 
and  a  green  from  the  other,  though  in  a  less  de- 
gree than  when  the  flowers  were  fresh. 

The  red  colour  produced  by  acids  is  scarcely 
more  durable  than  the  original  blue  ^  applied 


269 


upon  other  bodies,  and  exposed  to  the  air,  it 
gradually  degenerates  into  a  faint  purplish,  and 
at  length  disappears,  leaving  hardly  any  stain 
behind.  The  green  produced  by  alkalis  changes 
to  a  yellow,  which  does  not  fade  so  soon. 
The  green  by  lime  water  is  more  permanent  and 
more  beautiful.  Green  lakes,  prepared  from 
these  flowers  by  lime  water,  have  been  used  as 
pigments  by  the  painter. 

The  flowers  of  cyanus  have  been  greatly  re- 
commended, as  affording  elegant  and  durable 
blue  pigments ;  but  I  have  never  been  able  to 
extraA  from  them  any  blue  colour  at  all.  They 
retain  their  colour  indeed,  when  hastily  dried, 
longer  than  some  other  blue  flowers,  but  they 
communicate  nothing  of  it  to  any  kind  of 
menstruum.  Infusions  of  them  in  watery, 
spiritous,  and  oily  liquors,  are  all  more  or  less 
of  a  reddish  cast,  without  any  tendency  to  blue. 
Alum,  which  is  said  to  heighten  and  preserve 
their  blue  colour,  changes  it  like  that  of  other 
blue  flowers,  to  a  purplish  red  ;  acids  to  a  deep 
red;  alkalis  and  lime  water  to  a  green. 

Solution  of  tin,  added  to  the  watery  infusion, 
turns  it  to  a  fine  crimson;  on  standing,  a  beau- 
tiful red  fecula  subsides,  bur  it  loses  all  its  co- 
lour by  the  time  it  is  dry.  The  watery  infusion, 
inspissated  to  the  consistence  of  an  extradl 
made  with  redified  spirit,  is  of  a  purplish  co- 
lour. The  colour  of  both  extrads,  spread 
thin  and  exposed  to  the  air,  quickly  fades. 

The  flowers  employed  in  these  experiments 
were  those  of  the  common  blue  bottle  of  the 
Z  2 


270 


corn-field  ;  cyanis  ssgetum  C\  B.  centanrea  ca^ 
lycibus  serratis  \  foliolis  Ii7iearibu5  tntegerri^ 
mis  i  insimis  dcntatis  linn.  spec. 

Red  Flowers, 

Red  flowers  readily  communicate  their  own 
red  colour  to  w  iter  menstrua  j  among  those 
that  have  been  tried  there  is  not  one  exception. 
Those  of  a  full  red  colour,  give  to  redtified 
spirit  also  a  deep  red  tin6ture,  brighter,  though 
somewhat  paler  than  the  watery  infusion  ;  but 
the  lighter  red  flowers,  and  those  that  have  a 
tendency  to  purplish,  impart  very  little  co- 
lour to  spirit,  and  seem  to  partake  more  of  the 
nature  of  the  blue  flowers  than  of  the  pure  red. 

Infusions  of  red  flowers  are  supposed  to  be 
heightened  by  acids,  and  turned  green  by  alka- 
lis, like  those  of  the  blue;  but  this  is  far  from 
being  universal.  Among  those  I  have  exami- 
ned, the  rose  colours  and  purplish  reds  were  all 
changed  nearly  in  the  s  ime  manner  as  the  blues, 
but  the  f  ill  deep  reds  were  not.  The  deep  in- 
fusion of  red  popies  is  turned  by  alkalis,  not 
to  3  green  but  to  a  dusky  purple. 

Yellow  Flowers* 

The  colours  of  yellow  flowers,  whether  pale 
or  deep,  are  in  general  durable.  Many  of  them 
are  as  much  so  perhaps  as  any  of  the  native  co- 
lours of  vegetables.  The  colour  is  extrafted 
both  by  water  and  by  spirit;  the  watery  infu- 
sions are  the  deepest.  Neither  acids  nor  alka- 
lis alter  the  species  of  colour,  though  both  of 


2/1 


chem  vary  its  j^hades  ;  acids  rendering  it  paler, 
and  alkalis  deeper  :  alum  likewise  consider  ibly 
heightens  it  though  not  so  much  as  alkalis. 

Wool  or  silk  impregnated  with  a  solution  of 
alum  and  tartar,  receives,  on  being  boiled  with 
the  watery  infusion,  or  decoction,  a  durable  yel- 
low die,  more  or  less  deep  according  as  the  li- 
quor is  more  or  less  saturated  v/ith  the  colouring 
matter. 

An  infusion  of  the  flowers  made  in  alkaline 
iey,  precipitated  by  alum,  gives  a  durable  yel- 
low lake.  Some  of  these  flowers,  particularly 
those  of  the  chrysanthemum,  or  corn-marigold, 
appear  (from  the  Ars  Tin^ora  Fundamentalist 
published  by  Stah!)  to  be  made  use  of  by  the 
German  Diers. 

In  some  of  the  deep  reddish  yellow,  or  orange- 
coloured  flowers,  the  yellow  matter  seems  to  be 
of  the  same  kind  with  that  of  the  pure  yellow 
flowers,  but  the  red  to  be  of  adifi^erent  kind  from 
the  pure  red  ones  :  watery  menstrua  take  up 
only  the  yellow  and  leave  rhe  red,  which  may 
afterwards  be  extrafled  by  rectified  spirit  of 
wine,  or  by  water  actuated  with  fixed  alkaline 
salt.  Such  particularly  are  the  safron-coloured 
flowers  of  carthamus.  These,  after  the  yellow 
matter  has  been  extracted  by  water,  are  said  ta 
give  a  red  tincture  to  ley ;  from  which,  on 
standing  at  rest  for  some  time,  a  deep  bright  red 
fecula  subsides,  called,  from  one  of  the  names 
of  the  plant  which  produces  it,  saf  flower,  and 
from  the  countries  whence  it  is  commonly 
brought  to  us,  Spanish  red,  und  China  lake^ 


272 


this  pigment  impregnates  spirits  of  wine  with  a 
beautiful  red  tincture,  but  communicates  no 
colour  to  water. 

I  have  endeavoured  to  separate  by  the  same 
treatment,  the  red  matter  of  some  of  the  other 
reddish  yellow  flowers,  as  those  of  the  garden 
marigold,  but  without  success.  Plain  water 
extracted  a  yellow  colour,  and  alkaline  ley  ex- 
tracted afterwards  only  a  paler  yellow  ;  though 
the  digestions  wrre  continued  till  the  flowers 
had  lost  their  colour,  the  tinctures  were  no 
other  than  yellov/,  and  not  so  deep  as  those  ob- 
tained from  the  pure  yellow  flowers. 

The  little  yellow  floscuH,  which  in  some 
kinds  of  flowers  are  collected  into  a  compact 
round  disc,  as  in  the  daisy  and  corn-marigold, 
agree  so  far  as  they  have  been  examined  with 
the  expanded  yellow  petala.  Their  colour  is 
aff'dcted  in  the  same  manner  by  acids,  by  alka- 
lis, and  by  alum,  and  equally  extracted  by  wa- 
ter and  by  spirit. 

But  the  yellow  farina  or  fine  dust  lodged  on 
the  tips  of  the  stamina  of  flowers,  appears  to  be 
ofadifi^erent  kind.  It  gives  a  fine  bright  yel- 
low to  spirit,  and  a  duller  yellow  to  water  j  the 
undissolved  part  proving,  in  both  cases,  of  a 
pale  yellowish  white.  Both  the  watery  and  spi- 
ritous  tinctures  were  brightened  by  alkaline  li- 
quors, turned  red  by  acids,  and  again  a  deep 
yellow  on  adding  more  of  the  alkali.  I  know 
no  other  vegetable  yellow  that  is  changed  red 
by  acids* 


273 


White  Flowers. 

White  flowers  are  by  no  means  destitute  of 
colouring  matter.  Alkaline  lixivia  extract  fiom 
some  of  them  a  green  tincture,  and  change  their 
colourless  expressed  juices  to  the  same  colour. 
But  I  have  not  observed  that  they  are  turned 
red  by  acids.  The  flowers  of  the  common  wild 
convolvulus  or  bind  weed,  which  in  all  their 
parrs  are  white,  give  a  deep  yellow  or  orange 
tincture  to  plain  water,  whxh  like  the  tincture 
of  flowers  which  are  naturally  of  that  colour, 
is  rendered  paler  by  acids,  heightened  a  little 
by  alum,  and  more  considerably  by  alkaline 
salts.    The  vapours  of  the  volatile  vitriolic 
acid,  or  of  burning  sulphur,  which  whiten  or 
destroy  the  colour  of  the  coloured  flowers^ 
makes  no  change  in  the  white. 


CHAPTER  IL 


OF  FRUITS. 

THE  red  juices  of  fruits,  as  red  currants, 
mulberries,  elder  berries,  and  morcUo  and 
black  cherries,  &c.  gently  inspissated  to  dry- 
ness dissolve  again  almost  totally  in  water,  and 
appear  nearly  of  the  same  red  colour  as  at  first. 
Rectified  spirit  extracts  the  tinging  particles, 
leaving  a  considerable  portion  of  mucilaginous 


274 


matter  undissolved:  and  hence  the  spirituous 
tincture  proves  of  a  brighter  colour  than  the 
watery.  The  red  solutions  and  the  juices 
themselves  are  sometimes  made  dull,  and  some- 
tidiesmore  florid,  by  acids,  and  generally  turn- 
ed purplish  by  alkalis. 

The  colours  of  these  juices  are  for  the  most 
part  perishable.  They  resist  indeed  the  power 
of  fermentation,  and  continue  almost  unchan- 
ged after  the  liquor  has  been  converted  into 
wine.  But  when  the  juice  is  spread  thinly  on 
other  bodies,  exsiccated,  and  exposed  to  the  air 
the  colour  quickly  alters  and  decays  :  the 
bright  lively  reds  change  the  soonest.  The 
dark,  dull  red  strain  from  the  juice  of  the 
bldck-cherry,  is  of  considerable  durability. 
The  fruit  of  the  Amercan  opuntia,  or  prickly 
pear,  the  plant  upon  which  the  cochineal  insect 
is  produced,  is  perhaps  an  exception :  this 
bright  red  fruit,  according  to  Labaty  gives  a 
beautiful  red  die.  Some  experiments,  however, 
made  upon  the  juice  of  that  fruit,  as  brought  in- 
to England,  did  not  seem  to  promise  any  great 
advantage  from  it  ^  but  the  particulars  I  cannot 
now  recollect. 

The  ripe  berries  of  buckthorn  stain  paper  of 
a  green  colour.  From  these  is  prepared  the 
substancecalled  sap-green, apigment  sufficiently 
durable,  readily  soluble  in  water,  but  not  mis- 
eible  with  oil.  The  berries  dried  whilst  green, 
and  macerated  in  alum- water,  are  said  to  yield 
a  yellow  pigment  ;  and  when  they  have  grown 
over-ripe,  so  as  to  fall  off  spontaneously,  a  pur- 
ple one.  Woolen  cloth,  prepared  with  alum  and 


275 

tartar,  receives,  on  being  boiled  with  the  berries, 
a  perishable  yellow  die.  The  French  berries, 
or  grained  Avignon  of  the  Fn  nch  Dicrs,  one  of 
the  most  false,  that  is,  the  most  perishable  of 
the  yellow  dies,  is  the  berry  of  a  species  of  buck- 
thorn smaller  than  that  which  grows  wild  among 
us. 

It  is  said  that  the  berry  of  the  Helioiropium 
tricoccumy  which  grows  v;ild  about  Montpelier^ 
stains  paper  of  a  green  colour,  and  that  this 
green  turns  presently  to  a  blue  :  that  the  com- 
mon blue  paper  receives  its  colour  from  this 
juice :  and  that  the  red  rags,  called  turnsole 
employed  for  colouring  wines  and  other  liquors, 
are  tinctured  by  the  same  juice,  turned  red  by 
acids.  According  to  Af.  Nissolle  of  the  French 
academy  of  sciences  (as  quoted  by  Savary  in 
his  Dtctionaire  de  Commerce)  the  colouring 
juice  is  obtained,  not  from  the  berries,  but  from 
the  tops  of  the  plant,  gathered  in  August, 
ground  in  mills,  and  then  committed  to  the 
press.  The  juice  is  exposed  to  the  sun  about 
an  hour,  the  rags  dipped  in  it,  dried  in  the  sun, 
moisctneci  by  the  vapour  which  arises  during  the 
slacking  of  quick-lime  with  urine,  theii  dried 
ag.dn  in  the  sun,  and  dipped  again  in  the  juice. 
The  Dutch  and  others  aie  said  to  prepare  turn* 
sol  rags,  and  turnsol  in  the  mass,  from  different 
ingredients,  among  which  archil  is  a  principal 
one. 

In  some  plants,  peony  for  instance,  the  seeds 
at  a  certain  poinr  (it  maturity  are  covered  wuh  a 
fine  shining  red  membrane  ;  the  pellicles  of  the 


276 


seeds  of  a  certain  American  tree  afford  the  red 
masses  brought  into  Europe  under  the  names  of  / 
annotto,  orlean,  and  roucou.  The  red  seeds, 
cleared  from  the  pods,  are  steeped  in  water  for 
seven  or  eight  days  or  longer,  till  the  liquor  be- 
gins to  ferment ;  then  strongly  stirred,  and 
stamped  with  wooden  paddles  and  beaters,  to 
promote  the  separation  of  the  red  skins  5  this 
process  is  repeated  several  times  till  the  seeds  are 
left  white.  The  liquor  passed  through  close 
cane  sieves  is  pretty  thick,  of  a  deep  red  colour 
and  a  very  ill  smell.  In  boiling  it  throws  up 
its  colouring  matter  to  the  surface  in  form 
of  scum,  which  is  afterwards  boiled  down  by 
itself  to  a  due  consistence,  and  made  up,  while 
soft  into  balls. 

The  annotto  commonly  met  with  among  us, 
is  moderately  hard  and  dry,  of  a  brown  colour 
on  the  outside,  and  a  dull  red  within.  It  is 
wirh  difficulty  acted  on  by  water,  and  tinges 
the  liquor  only  of  a  pale  brownish  yellow  co- 
lour. In  rectified  spirit  of  wine  it  readily  dis- 
solves, and  cominunicares  a  high  orange  or  yel- 
lowish red.  Hence  it  is  used  as  an  ingredient  in 
varnishes,  for  giving  more  or  less  of  an  orange 
cast  to  ihe  simple  yellows.  Alkaline  salts  ren- 
der it  perfectly  soluble  in  boiling  water,  without 
altering  its  colour.  Wool  or  bilk  boiled  in  the 
solution,  acquire  a  deep  but  noc  a  very  duranle 
orange  die.  Irs  colour  is  not  changed  by  alum 
or  by  acids  any  more  than  by  alkalis;  but 
wfien  imbibed  in  clotn,  it  discharged  by  soap 
and  destroyed  by  exposure  to  the  air. 


277 


Mr.  Pott,  in  the  Berlin  memoirs  for  the  year 
175  2,  mentions  a  very  extraordinary  property 
of  this  concrete.  "  With  the  vitriolic  acid,  ic 
"  produces  a  blue  colour,  of  extreme  beauty, 
"  but  with  this  capital  defect,  that  all  salts  and 
liquors,  even  common  water,  destroy  it/* 
The  specimen  of  annotto  which  I  examined, 
was  not  sensibly  acted  on  by  spirit  of  vitriol. 
It  received  no  change  in  its  own  colour,  and 
communicated  none  to  the  liquor.  Nor  did 
any  visible  change  ensue  upon  dropping  the 
acid  into  tinctures  of  annotto  made  in  water  or 
in  spirit. 

Labat  informs  us,  that  the  Indians  prepare  an 
annotto  greatly  superior  to  that  which  is  brought 
to  us,  of  a  bright  shining  red  colour,  almost: 
equal  to  carmine  ;  that  for  this  purpose,  in- 
stead of  steeping  and  fermenting  the  seeds  in 
water,  they  rub  them  with  the  hands  previously 
dipt  in  oil,  till  the  pellicles  come  off,  and  are 
reduced  into  a  clear  paste,  which  is  scraped  off 
from  the  hands  with  a  knife,  and  laid  on  a  cleaa 
leaf  in  the  shade  to  dry.  De  Lacet^  in  his  notes 
on  M  ircgrave's  Natural  H'story  of  Brazil,  men- 
tions also  two  kinds  of  annotto,  one  of  a  perma- 
nent criaison  colour,  (coccineus)  used  as  a  fu- 
cus  \  and  another  which  gives  a  colour  incli- 
ning more  to  that  of  saffron.  This  last,  which 
is  our  annotto,  he  supposes  to  be  a  mixture  of 
the  first  sort  with  certain  resinous  Qiatters,  and 
with  the  juice  of  the  root  of  the  tree. 

Ximenes  relates,  that  annotto  with  urine 
stains  linen  of  such  a  permanent  colour  that  it 
Aa 


278 


can  never  be  washed  out.  Perhaps  the  first 
sort  is  meant.  Our  annotto  boiled  in  urine,  im- 
parted to  linen  a  deep  yellowish  red :  the 
stained  linen,  hung  out  in  the  air  in  summer,  in 
seven  or  eight  days  lost  all  its  colour  and  be- 
came white  again. 


CHAPTER  IIL 

OF  LEAVES. 

THE  green  colour  of  the  leaves  of  plants  is 
extracted  by  rectified  spirit  of  wine  gnd 
by  oils.  The  spirituous  tinctures  are  generally 
of  a  fine  deep  green,  even  when  the  leaves 
themselves  are  dull  coloured,  or  yellowish,  or 
lioary.  The  colour  however  seldom  abides 
long  even  in  the  liquor ;  much  less  when  the 
tinging  matter  is  separated  in  a  solid  form,  and 
exposed  with  a  large  surface  to  the  air.  The 
editor  of  the  PFirtemberg  Pharmacopeia  ob- 
serves, that  the  leaves  of  acanthus,  brankursine 
or  bears- breech,  give  a  more  durable  green 
tincture  to  spirit  than  those  of  any  other  herb. 
Alkalis  heighten  the  colour  bCth  of  the  tinc- 
tures and  green  juices.  Acids  weaken,  destroy, 
or  change  it  to  a  brownish.  Lime  water  im- 
proves both  the  colour  and  the  durability.  By 
means  of  lime,  not  inelegant  green  lakes  are 
procurable  from  the  leaves  of  acanthus,  lilly  of 
the  valley,  and  several  other  plants. 


279 


There  are  very  few  herbs  which  communi- 
cate any  share  of  their  green  colour  to  water; 
perhaps  none  that  give  a  green  of  any  conside- 
rable deepness.  It  is  said,  however,  that  the 
leaves  of  some  plants  give  a  green  die  ro  wo  )1"- 
kn,  without  the  avldition  of  any  other  colouring 
matter  ;  particularly  those  of  the  wild  chervil 
or  cow- weed  (  Myrrhis  sylvestris  seminibus  Ixvi-- 
luSy  C.  B.)  the  common  ragwort,  and  deviTs 
bit.  The  process  with  this  last,  as  described 
by  Ltnna^us  (in  the  Svensca  Acad.  Handle,  drsy 
1742)  is  pretty  remarkable.  The  peasants,  he 
informs  us  in  some  of  the  Swedish  provinces^ 
stratify  the  fresh  leaves  with  woollen  yarn,  and 
boil  them  about  as  long  as  it  is  customary  ip 
boil  fish.  . 

The  whole  is  suffered  to  stand  iri  the  vessel 
for  a  night.  The  wool,  taken  out  in  the  mor- 
ning, does  not  appear  to  have  received  any  co- 
lour. The  pot  is  again  made  hot,  and  the  yarn 
hung  over  it  upon  a  stick,  covered  with  an  in- 
verted dish  to  confine  the  steam,  for  this  steam 
is  supposed  to  be  essential  to  the  colour.  The 
yarn  is  afterwards  wrung,  the  leaves  taken  out 
of  the  boiling  liquor,  a  little  fresh  water  added 
ro  the  decoction,  and  the  wool  frequently  dipt 
therein,  till  it  appears  sufficiently  coloured. 

The  leaves  of  many  kinds  of  herbs  and  trees 
give  a  yellow  die  to  wool  or  woollen  cloth 
that  has  been  previously  boiled  with  a  solution, 
of  alum  and  tartar  :  weld  in  particular  affords  a 
fine  yellow,  and  is  commonly  made  use  of  for 
this  purpose  by  the  diers,  and  cultivated  in  large 


28o 


quantities  in  some  parts  of  England.  There  is  no 
colour  for  which  we  havtr  such  plenty  of  n^,areri- 
ais  as  Tor  yellow.  Mr.  Hellot  observes  in  his  ^r/ 
cieTeindre^iWiM  all  leaves^ barks,  and  roots  which 
on  being  chewed  discover  a  slight  astringency, 
as  the  leavrs  of  the  aluiond,  peach,  and  prar- 
trees,  asiv-barkj  (especially  that  taken  off  after 
the  first  rising  of  the  sap  in  spring)  the  roots  of 
wild  patience,  &c.  yield  durable  yellows,  more 
or  less  beautiful  according  to  the  length  ot  time 
chat  the  boding  is  continued,  and  the  propor- 
tions of  alum  and  tartar  in  the  preparatory  li- 
cjuor  :  that  a  large  quantity  of  alum  makes  these 
yellows  approach  to  the  elegant  yellow  of  weld  : 
that  if  the  tartar  is  made  to  prevail,  it  inclires 
them  to  an  orange  :  that  if  the  roots,  barks,  or 
leaves  be  too  long  boiled,  the  yellow  proves 
tarnished,  and  acquires  shades  of  brown  :  that 
for  dying  with  weld,  the  best  proportions  of  the 
saltb  are,  four  parts  of  alum  and  one  of  tartar  to 
sixteen  of  the  wool :  and  that  the  wool  prepared 
with  these  is  to  be  boiled  again  with  five  or  six 
times  its  quantity  of  wrld  :  that  for  light  shades 
it  is  customary  to  diminish  the  alum  and  omit 
the  tartar ;  and  that  in  this  case  the  colour  is 
more  slowly  imbibed,  and  proves  less  durable. 

Of  all  the  colours  of  the  dier,  we  have  the 
fewest  materials  for  blue  ;  the  mineral  and  ani- 
mal kingdoms  afford  none,  excepting  perhaps 
Prussian  blue,  which  Mr.  Macquer  has  lately 
attempted  to  introduce  in  this  art.  The  vege- 
table yields  but  two,  which  are  both  produced 
from  the  leaves  of  planis,  indigo  and  woad. 


28 1- 

0 


I 

CHAPTER  IV. 

MR.  lewis's  history  OF  MADDER,  AND  MAN- 
NER OF  TREATING  IT. 

MADDE.R( Ridia linctorum  saliva,  C.B.) 
is  one  of  the*  asperifolious  stellated  plants, 
or  of  those  which  have  rough  narrow  leaves,  set 
in  form  of  a  star  at  the  joints  of  the  stalks.  I'he 
root,  which  is  the  only  part  made  use  of,  is  long 
and  slender,  of  a  red  colour  both  on  the  outside 
and  Vv'ichin,  excepting  a  whitish  pith  which  runs 
along  the  middle. 

This  plant  was  formerly  cultivated  among 
us  in  great  quantity  for  the  use  of  the  diers,  who 
for  some  time  past  have  been  supplied  from 
Holland  and  Zealand.  Its  culture  is  now  again 
set  on  foot  in  this  kingdom,  under  the  laudable 
encouragement  of  a  public  society.  Madder  is 
not  like  alkanet,  and  other  exotic  plants,  the 
colour  of  which  degenerates  in  our  climates, 
for  English  madder  is  equal  to  the  best  that  is 
brought  from  abroad. 

Madder  root  gives  out  its  colour  both  to  wa- 
ter and  to  rectified  spirit^  the  watery  tincture  is 
of  a  dark  dull  red,  the  spirituous  of  a  deep 
bright  one.  Taken  internally  (for  it  has  some- 
times been  used  medicinally  as  an  aperient  and 
diuretic)  it  tinges  the  urine  red.  In  the  Philo- 
sophical Transactions,  and  in  the  Memoirs  of 
the  French  Academy,  there  are  accounts  of  it^s 
A  a  2 


282 


producing  a  like  effect  upon  the  bones  of  ani- 
mals, to  whom  it  had  been  given  with  their  food. 
All  the  bones,  particularly  the  more  solid  ones, 
were  changed  both  externally  and  internally  to  a 
deep  red,  but  neither  the  cartilaginous  nor 
fleshy  parts  suffered  any  alteration.    Some  of 
those  bones,  macerated  in  water  for  many  weeks 
together,  and  afterwards  steeped  and  boiled  in 
spirit  of  wine,  lost  nothing  of  their  colour^,  nor 
comiiHunicated  any  tinge  to  the  liquors. 

The  dealers  in  this  commodity  make  three 
sorts  of  it ;  madder  in  the  branch,  miadduT  in 
the  bunch  or  in  the  bundle,  and  madder  un- 
bundled. 

Madder  in  the  branch  is  the  entire  root  dried. 
This  ground  in  millb  to  a  gross  powder  is  the 
unbundled  madder.  The  bundled  or  bunch 
madder  is  a  powder  of  the  finer  roots,  freed 
from  the  outer  bark  and  from  the  pith.  It  is 
said  that  by  keeping  for  cwo  or  three  years  in 
close  casks  the  colour  is  improved ;  in  open 
vessels  it  decays. 

Madder  iiiiparts  to  woollen  cloth,  prepared 
with  alum  and  tartar,  a  very  durable,  though 
not  a  very  beautiful  red  dye.  As  it  is  the 
cheapest  of  all  the  red  drugs  that  give  a  durable 
colour,  it  is  the  principle  one  commonly  made 
use  of  for  ordinary  stuffs.  Som^^times  its  die  is 
heightened  by  the  addition  of  Brazil  wood  ;  and 
sometimes  it  is  employed  in  conjunction  with 
the  dearer  reds,  as  cochineal,  for  dv  mi-scarlets 
and  demi- crimsons,  Mr.  Hellot  informs  us_, 
that  those  who  die  the  best  madder  reds  are 


25 


particularly  careful  to  keep  the  liquor  of  a  heat 
considerably  below  boiling,  increasing  the  fire 
only  towards  the  end,  so  as  to  make  it  boil  for 
a  minute  or  two  just  before  the  cloth  is  taken 
oat  to  confirm  the  die;  a  boiling  heat  enables 
water  to  extract  not  only  the  red,  but  a  tawny 
or  brownish  matter,  which  debases  the  red  to  a 
dull  brick  colour. 

The  proportion  of  madder  is  about  half  the 
weight  of  the  cloth.  The  best  proportion  of 
salts  for  preparing  the  cloth  to  receive  the  die, 
seems  to  be  five  parts  of  alum  and  one  of  red 
tartar  for  sixteen  of  the  stuff;  which  is  to  be 
boiled  with  these  for  two  hours  or  longer,  then 
kept  moist  for  some  days,  and  afterwards  di- 
gested with  the  madder. 

A  variation  in  the  proportion  of  the  salts,  va- 
ries the  colour  communicated  by  the  madder, 
and  not  only  the  shade,  but  the  species  of 
colour. 

If  the  alum  be  dimiinished,  and  the  tartar  in- 
creased, the  die  proves  a  red  cinnamon  ;  if  the 
alum  be  entrrely  omitted,  the  red  is  destroyed, 
and  a  very  durable  tav.ny  cinnamon  is  pro- 
duced. 

On  boiling  the  died  cloth  in  weak  alkaline 
ley,  great  parr  of  the  colour  is  destroyed,  and 
the  remainder  appears  of  a  dirty  or  a  kind  of 
sallow  hue.  Solution  of  soap,  on  the  other 
hand,  discharges  a  part,  and  leaves  the  remain- 
ing red  more  lively  than  before. 

Volatile  alkalis  heighten  the  red  colour  of 
madder,  but  at  the  same  time  render  it  fugitive 


284 


like  themselves.  Madder  prepared  with  lime 
and  urine,  after  the  manner  practised  for  archil^ 
lost  its  red  colour  on  attempting  to  die  with  it, 
and  communicated  to  the  cloth  only  permanent 
nut-colours. 

If  a  pure  red,  as  that  of  cochineal,  he  applied 
on  cloth  vvhicii  has  been  previously  died  blue, 
and  afterwards  prepared  for  receiving  this  red' 
by  boiling  with  alum  and  tartar,  a  purple  or 
violet  will  be  produced,  according  as  the  blue 
or  the  red  prevail.  The  madder  red  has  not 
this  effect,  for  as  its  colour  is  not  a  pure  red^ 
but  is  tarnished  by  the  tawny  matter  which  its 
woody  fibres  have  in  common  with  other  roots, 
it  gives  upon  blue  only  a  cht-'snur  die,  more  or 
less  deep  according  to  the  deepness  of  the  blue, 
applied  first. 

There  are,  however,  means  of  obtaining  from 
madder  a  fine  purple,  without  the  addition  of 
any  other  colouring  drug.  A  piece  of  white 
woollen  cloth,  weighing  half  an  ounce,  was 
boiled  for  half  an  hour  with  ten  grains- 
of  roman  alum  and  six  grains  of  crys- 
tals of  tartar,  and  then  taken  out,  squeezed, 
and  suffered  to  cool  Twtnty-four  grains  of 
bunch  madder  were  added  to'the  same  liquor; 
and  after  the  madder  had  given  out  its  colour, 
twenty  drops  of  a  solution  of  bismuth  (made  in 
spirit  of  nitre,  diluted  with  equal  its  weight  of 
water)  were  drop[3€d  in.  The  cloth  was  now 
dipped  again,  and  in  half  an  hour  taken  our, 
squeezed  and  washed.  It  appeared  of  a  crim- 
son colour,  nearly  as  beautiful  as  if  it  had  been 
died  with  cochineal.    To  try  the  effect  of  load- 


285 

ing  it  further  with  the  colouring  matter,  it  was 
returned  into  the  liquor  and  boiled  for  a  quar- 
ter of  an  hour,  longer:  it  had  now  acquired  a 
^purple  colour  sufficiently  vivid. 

On  varying  this  experiment  by  keeping  the 
cloth  moist  for  som.e  days  after  the  preparation 
with  alum  and  tartar,  then  dipping  it  in  a  plain 
decoction  of  m.adder  made  as  usual  without 
salts,  and  adding,  when  it  had  gained  a  bright 
cinnamon  colour,  the  same  solution  of  bismuth, 
the  die  instead  of  purple  proved  only  a  chesnut. 


CHAPTER  V. 

OF  FUSTIC. 

FUSTIC  is  the  wood  or  species  of  mulberry- 
tree,  growing  in  Jamaica  and  Brazil,  called 
by  Sir  Hans  Sloane^  Morus  Fructu  Viridi  Lig- 
no  Sulphureo  Tineiorio.  It  is  of  a  deep  sulphur 
yellow  colour,  which  it  readily  gives  out  both 
to  water  and  spirit.  The  watery  decoction  ciies 
prepared  woollen  of  a  very  durable  orange  yel- 
low :  the  colour  is  in^ibibed  by  the  cloth  in  a 
moderate  warmth  without  boiling. 

The  fustet  or  fustel  of  the  French  is  a  yellow 
wood  or  root  very  different  from  our  fustic.  It 
gives  a  fine  orange  die  to  woollen,  but  the  co- 
lour is  extremely  perishable  in  the  air.  The 
plant  grows  wild  in  Italy  and  Provence^  and  is 


286 


cultivated  with  us  in  gardens  on  account  of  the 
beauty  of  its  flowers.    Ic  is  called  Venice 
fnachy  cotinus  cotiaria^  coccigria  ^  cGtinus 
thioliy  C.  B. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

NEPHRITIC  WOOD. 

THIS  wood  is  brought  from  the  eastern 
countries  in  large  pieces,  covered  with  a 
dark  blackish  bark.  The  wood  is  hard,  heavy, 
compact,  of  a  fine  grain,  of  a  whitish  or  pale 
yellow  colour  on  the  outride,  and  a  dusky  red- 
dish brown  in  the  heart.  Of  the  tree  we  have 
no  very  certain  account. 

This  wood,  particularly  the  outer  pale  part, 
gives  out  both  to  water  and  to  rectified  spirit  a 
deep  tincture  appe^arir^g,  when  placed  between 
the  eye  and  the  light,  of  a  golden  colour;  in 
other  situations,  blue.  Hence  it  is  named  by 
Caspar  BauhinOy  lignum  peregriniimy  aquam  cce- 
ruleam  redden. 

By  this  mark  it  is  easily  distinguished  from 
pieces  of  a  different  kind  of  wood,  which  are 
sometimes  mixt  with  it,  and  which  give  only  a 
yellow  tincture  to  water. 

It  is  remarkable,  that  the  blue  colour  of  the 
infusion  of  nephritic  wood  is  destroyed  by  acids, 
the  liquor  after  the  admixture  of  these  appear- 
ing in  all  situations  yellov/ s  and  that  the  ad- 


4 


287 


dition  of  alkalis,  either  of  the  fixt  or  volatile 
kind,  in  quantity  sufficient  to  neutralize  the 
acid,  restores  the  blueness.  No  other  A\oody 
matter  is  known  that  gives  any  degree  of  blue 
tincture,  and  no  other  vegetable  blue  is  known 
that  is  thus  destructible  by  acids. 

This  wood  is  at  present  rarely  met  with  in 
the  shops ;  nor  is  it  applied  to  any  use,  except 
that  some  have  employed  it  medicinally,  and 
expected  from  it  diuretic  virtues^  whence  its 
name  nephritic  wood. 


GHAPTER  VII. 
MR.  Ferguson's  nrsroRv  of  logw^ood  as  a 

COLOURING  DRUG. 

LOGWOOD  or  Campeachy  wood  {Lignum 
Brazilo'simile,  cceruleo  tingenSy  y.  B  is 
the  wood  of  a  low  prickly  tree,  which  grows 
plentifully  about  Campeachy  or  the  Bay  of 
Honduras,  and  has  of  late  been  introduced  into 
some  of  the  warmer  of  the  British  plantations, 
particularly  Jamaica.  Ir  is  a  native  of  the  low 
marshy  places.  The  wood  comes  over  in  pret- 
ty large  logs,  cleared  from  the  bark.  It  is  very 
hard,  compact,  heavy,  and  of  a  red  colour. 

Logwood  gives  out  its  colour  boih  to  watery 
anci  spiiituous  menstrua,  but  not  readily  to 
either.  It  requires  10  be  rasped  and  grciund  into 
fine  powder,  and  boded  in  several  fresh  parcels 


of  the  liquors.  Rectified  spirit  extracts  the  co- 
lour more  easily,  and  from  a  larger  proportion 
of  the  wood  than  water  does. 

The  tinctures  both  in  water  and  in  spirit  are 
of  a  fine  red,  with  an  admixture,  particularly  in 
the  watery  one,  of  a  violet  or  purple.  Volatile 
alkaline  salts  or  spirits  incline  the  colour  nnore 
to  purple.  The  vegetable  and  nitrous  acids 
render  it  pale,  the  vitriolic  and  nnarine  acids 
deepen  it. 

The  watery  decoction,  wrote  with  on  paper, 
loses  its  redness  in  a  few  days  and  becomes 
wholly  violet.  This  colour  it  communicates 
also  to  woollen  cloth  previously  prepared  by 
boiling  with  a  solution  of  alum  and  tartar.  The 
die  is  beautiful,  but  very  perishable.  It  is  of- 
ten used  by  the  diers  as  an  ingredient  in  com- 
pound colours,  for  procuring  certain  shades 
which  are  not  easily  hit  by  other  materials. 

With  chalybeate  solutions  it  strikes  a  black. 
Hence  it  is  employed  in  conjunction  with  those 
liquors  for  staining  wood  black  for  picture 
frames,  &c.  and  with  the  addition  of  galls  for 
dying  cloth  and  hats  black.  The  black  dies  in 
which  this  v/ood  is  an  ingredient,  have  a  parti- 
cular lustre  and  softness,  far  beyond  those  made 
with  vitriol  and  galls  alone.  The  beauty  how- 
ever which  it  here  imparts  is  not  permanent, 
any  more  than  its  own  natural  violet  die. 

On  the  same  principle  it  improves  also  the 
lustre  and  blackness  of  writing  ink.  Ink  m.ade 
with  vitriol  and  galls  does  not  attain  to  its  full 
blackness,  till  after  it  has  lain  som.e  time  upon 


289 


the  paper.  A  due  addition  of  Logwood  ren- 
ders it  of  a  deep  black  as  it  flows  from  the  pen, 
especially  when  vinegar  or  white  wine  is  used 
for  the  menstruum. 

Decoctions  and  extracts  made  from  logwood 
have  an  agreeable  sweetish  taste,  followed  by  a 
slight  asrringency.  They  have  lately  been  in- 
troduced into  medicine,  and  given  with  success 
in  cases  where  mild  restringents  are  required. 
They  often  tinge  the  stools,  and  sometimes  the 
wine  of  a  red  colour. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


THE   PROCESS  OF  PRUSSIAN  BLUE. 

PRUSSIAN  blue  is  prepared  by  precipita- 
ting  a  solution  of  green  vitriol  and  alum 
with  a  lixivium  drawn  from  fixed  alkaline  sale 
that  has  been  calcined  with  animal  coals.  Com- 
monly about  three  parts  of  alkali  and  two  of 
dried  ox-blood  are  calcined  so  long  as  any 
flame  appears,  then  thrown  into  boiling  water, 
and  the  strained  decoction  poured  into  a  hot 
mixture  of  solutions  of  four  parts  of  alum  and  one 
or  less  of  vitriol.  The  liquor  becomes  instant- 
ly thick  or  curdly,  and  looks  at  first  of  a  grey- 
ish colour,  which  changes  to  a  brown  and  in  a 
little  time  to  a  bluish  green.  The  matter,  be- 
ing well  stirred  together,  and  mixed  with  a 
quantity  of  hard  spring  water,  a  green  preci- 


290 


pitate  subsides  :  spirit  of  salt  poured  upon  the 
edulcorated  powder  dissolves  a  part,  and  leaves 
the  rest  blue. 

Mr.  Geoffrey  is  the  first  who  has  given  any 
plausible  theory  of  this  process,  or  any  rational 
means  for  improving  it.  He  observes  that  the 
Prussian  blue  is  no  other  than  the  iron  of  the 
vitriol,  revived  by  the  inflammable  matter  of 
the  alkaline  lixivium,  and  perhaps  brightened 
by  an  admixture  of  the  white  earth  of  alum  5 
that  the  green  colour  proceeds  from  a  part  of 
the  yellow  ferrugineous  calx  or  ochre  unrevived, 
mixing  with  the  blue,  and  that  the  spirit  of  salt 
dissolves  this  ochre  more  readily  than  the  blue 
part,  though  it  will  dissolve  that  also  by  long 
standing,  or  if  used  in  too  large  quantity. 
From  these  principles  he  was  led  to  increase  the 
quantity  of  inflammable  matter,  that  there 
might  be  enough  to  receive  the  whole  of  the 
ferrugineous  ochre,  and  produce  a  blue  colour 
at  once  without  the  use  of  the  acid  spirit.  In 
this  he  perfectly  succeeded,  and  found  at  the 
same  time  that  the  colour  might  be  rendered  of 
any  degree  of  deepness  or  lightness  at  pleasure. 

If  the  akali  is  calcined  with  twice  its  weight 
of  dried  blood,  and  the  lixivium  obtained  from 
it,  poured  into  a  solution  of  one  part  of  vitriol, 
to  six  of  alum,  the  liquor  acquires  a  very  pale 
blue  colour,  and  deposits  as  pale  a  precipitate. 
On  adding  more  and  more  of  a  fresh  solution  of 
vitriol,  the  colour  becomes  deeper  and  deeper, 
almost  to  blackness.  He  imagines  with  great 
probability,  that  the  blue  pigments  thus  pre- 


igi 

pared  will  prove  more  durable  in  the  air,  min- 
gle more  perfectly  with  other  colours,  and  be 
les^  apt  to  injure  the  lustre  of  such  as  are  mixed 
with  or  applied  to  its  neighbourhood,  than  that 
made  in  the  common  manner;  the  tarnish  and 
other  inconveniences  to  which  the  common 
Prussian  blue  is  subject,  seeming  to  proceed 
from  the  acid  and  spirit,  which  cannot  be  total-- 
ly  separated  by  any  ablution. 

He  takes  notice  also  of  an  amusing  phenome- 
non which  happens  upon  mixture.  When  the  li« 
quors  are  well  stirred  together,  and  the  circular 
motion  as  soon  as  possible  stopc ;  some  drops 
of  solution  of  vitriol  (depurated  by  long  set- 
ling)  let  fall  on  different  parts  of  the  surface, 
divide,  spread,  and  form  curious  representations 
of  flowers,  trees,  shrubs,  flying  insects.  Sec.  in 
great  regularity  and  perfection.  These  con- 
tinue ten  or  twelve  minutes,  and  on  stirring  the 
liquor  again,  and  dropping  in  some  more  of  the 
solution  of  vitriol,  are  succeeded  by  a  new 
picture, 

Mr.  Macquer  has  ingeniously  applied  the 
preparation  of  this  pigment  to  the  dicing  of 
wool  and  silk,  and  found  means  of  fixing  the 
blue  fecula  in  their  pores.  By  dipping  cloth 
first  in  a  diluted  solution  of  vitriol  and  alum, 
then  in  the  ley  diluted,  and  afterwards  in  water 
acidulated  with  spirit  of  vitriol,  it  acquires  a 
light  blue  colour,  which  becomes  deeper  and 
deeper  on  repeating  the  dippings  alternately  in 
the  sam.e  order  as  before ;  adding  to  the  liquors 
each  time  a  little  more  of  the  respective  saline 


292 


matters.  The  blue  die,  he  says,  in  beauty  and 
iustre  exceeds  that  of  indigo  and  vvoad,  as  far  as 
scarlet  does  the  madder  red,  and  penetrates  the 
whole  substance  of  fulled  cloth  without  weak- 
ening it.  The  colour  is  durable  in  the  air,  and 
stands  boiling  with  alum  water,  but  is  dischar- 
ged by  soap,  and,  without  certain  precautions^ 
liable  to  be  specky  or  unequal.  See  Memoirs 
of  the  French  Academy  for  the  year  1749. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

ALKANET-ROOT. 

THE  roots  of  alkanet  in  many  respects  very 
much  resemble  saunders  wood,  but  differ 
from  it  refnarkably  in  others.  They  impart  an 
elegant  deep  red  to  pure  spirit  of  wine,  to  oils, 
to  wax,  and  to  unctuous  substances :  1  do  not 
know  of  any  red  drug  that  tinges  oil  of  so  fine 
a  colour.  To  water  they  give  only  a  dull 
brownish  red.  The  spirituousliquor,  on  being 
inspissated  to  the  consistence  of  an  extract,  in- 
stead of  preserving  its  fine  red  like  that  of 
saunders,  changes  to  an  unsightly  brown. 

Volatile  spirits  have  been  said  to  gain  from 
this  root  a  beautiful  violet  or  amethyst  colour; 
but  I  have  not  found  that  they  extract  any  co- 
lour but  a  dull  reddish  brown. 

The  alkanet  plant  is  a  species  of  bugloss, 
named  by  Tournefort,  buglossum  radice  rubra^ 


^93 


sive  anchiisa  vulgatior  florihus  c^eruleis.  Ic  is 
a  native  of  the  warmer  parts  of  Europe,  and 
cultivated  in  some  of  our  gardens.  The  great- 
est quantities  are  raised  in  Germany  and 
France,  particularly  about  Montpelier,  from 
whence  we  are  chiefly  supplied  with  the  roots^ 

The  alkanet  root  produced  in  England  is 
much  inferior  in  colour  to  that  brought  from 
abroad;  the  former  being  only  lightly  reddish^ 
the  latter  of  a  deep  purplish  red.  This  has  in- 
duced some  to  suspect  that  the  foreign  roots  owe 
part  of  their  colour  to  art,  but  a  chymical  ex- 
amination teaches  otherwise.  The  colourins; 
matter  is  found  upon  experiment,  to  be  of  the 
same  kind  in  both,  and  to  differ  in  several  of 
its  properties  from  that  of  all  the  other  known 
'  red  drugs  ;  so  that  no  artifice  appears  to  be  prac- 
ticai)le  without  discovery,  unless  it  was  concen- 
rrating  the  colour  of  two  roots  into  one,  or  su* 
persaturating  one  root  with  the  colour  extracted 
from  another* 

The  principal  use  of  alkanet-root  is  for  co-= 
louring  oils,  unguents,  iip-salves,  plaisters,  &c. 
Wax  tinged  with  it,  applied  on  warm  marble, 
stains  it  of  a  flesh  colour,  which  sinks  deep  into 
the  stone.  The  spirituous  tincture  gives  a  deep 
red  srain. 

The  colour  of  this  root  is  confined  to  the  cor- 
tical parr,  the  pith  being  whitish  \  hence  as  the 
small  roots  have  m.orc  bark  in  proportion  to 
their  bulk  than  the  larger  ones,  those  also  con- 
tain most  colour, 

B  b  ^ 


294 


CHAPTER  X. 


OF  ALUM. 

NATURE  produces  no  perfect  alum,  but 
affords  the  materials  for  ic  in  sundry  ores\, 
pyrites,  stones,  slate,  earth,  waters,  and  bitu- 
mens, as  pit  coal.  Some  late  experiments  by 
Mr.  Geoffrey  and  Mr.  Pot  have  shewn  that  the 
earth  of  alum  is  contained  in  clay,  and  that  a 
true  alum  may  be  prepared  by  digesting  clay  in 
the  vitriolic  acid.  Both  of  these  gentlemen 
imagine  that  only  a  particular  part  of  the  clay 
is  here  extracted. 

Whether  it  existed  originally  in  the  clay, 
possessed  of  the  samie  properties  v;hich  it  is 
found  to  have  when  extracted,  or  whether  it  has 
suffered  a  change  in  the  operation,  they  have 
not  determined.  From  the  experiments  I  have 
made,  the  latter  seemjs  to  be  the  case.  Powder- 
ed-tobacco-pipf-clay,  being  boiled  in  a  consi- 
derable quantity  of  oil  of  vitriol,  and  the  fire 
continued  to  dryness,  the  matter,  examined 
when  grown  cold,  discovers  scarcely  any  taste, 
or  only  a  slight  acidulous  one.  On  exposure  to 
the  air  for  a  fev/  days,  the  greatest  part  of  it  is 
found  changed  into  lanuginous  efflorescences  in 
taste  exactly  like  alum  :  the  remainder  treated 
with  fresh  oil  of  vitriol  in  the  same  manner,  ex- 


295 


hibits  the  same  phenomena,  and  this  repeatedly^ 
till  nearly  the  whole  of  the  clay  is  converted  in- 
to an  astringent  salt. 

If  the  earth  be  separated  again  from  the  acid, 
(by  dissolving  the  salt  in  water,  and  precipita- 
ting with  any  alkaline  salt)  it  is  now  found  to 
dissolve  with  ease  in  every  acid  ;  to  form  with 
the  vitriolic  alum  again  ;  with  the  nitrous,  a 
compound  resembling  alum  in  taste  with  the 
vegetable  acids,  a  substance  less  astringent  and 
less  ungrateful. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


eHYMICAL   HISTORY    OF  SAUNDERS,    AND  IT3 
DIFFERENCE  FROM  OTHER  RED-WOODS. 

RED  Saunders  is  a  hard,  compact,  ponder- 
ous wood,  of  a  dark  blackish  red  on  the 
outside,  and  a  light  red  colour  within  ;  of  no 
particular  smell  or  taste.  It  is  brought  from 
the  Coromandel  coast  and  from  Golconda.  Of 
the  tree  we  have  no  certain  account.  Its  prin- 
cipal use  is  as  a  colouring  drug.  Those 
whose  business  it  is  to  rasp  and  grind  it  into 
powder,  probably  employ  certain  saline  or  other 
additions  to  improve  the  colour;  whence  the 
remarkable  differences  in  the  colour  of  powder- 
ed Saunders  prepared  in  different  pla*  es.  That 
of  Strasburgh  is  of  the  deepest  and  liveliest  red. 


296 


Some  sorts  are  of  a  dead  dark  red,  and  some  of 
a  pale  brick  red  ;  some  incline  to  purple  or  vi- 
olet^ and  sojne  to  brown. 

The  colour  of  this  wood  resides  wholly  in  its 
resin,  and  hence  is  extracted  by  rectified  spirit, 
whilst  water,  though  it  takes  up  a  portion  of 
mucilaginous  matter,  gains  no  tinge,  or  only  a 
slight  yellowish  one.  From  two  ounces  of  the 
wood  were  obtained  by  spirit  of  wine  three 
drachms  and  a  half  of  resinous  extract,  and  af- 
terwards by  water,  a  scruple  of  mucilage.  By 
applying  water  at  first,  I  obtained  from  two 
ounces  two  drachms  and  six  grains  of  a  tough- 
mucilaginous  extract,  which  could  not  easily  be 
reduced  to  dryness.  The  remainder  still  yield- 
ed, with  spirit,  two  drachms  of  resin.  The  in- 
dissoluble matter  v/eighed,  in  the  first  case,  an 
ounce  and  a  half  and  fifteen  grains  ;  in  the  lat- 
ter, nineteen  grains  less.  Neither  the  distilled 
water  nor  spirit  had  any  remarkable  taste  or 
smell. 

The  red  colour  of  saunders  appears  to  be  no 
other  than  a  concentrated  yellow,  for  by  bare 
dilution  it  becoires  yellow.  A  grain  of  the  re- 
sinous extract,  dissolved  in  an  ounce  of  rectifi- 
ed spirit,  tinges  it  red,  but  this  solution,  mixt 
with  a  quart  of  fresh  spirit,  gives  only  a  yellow 
hue.  Hoffman  reports  that  this  resin  does  not 
give  a  tincture  to  any  kind  of  oil.  I  have  tried 
five  oils,  those  of  amber,  turpentine,  almonds> 
anniseeds,  and  lavender.  It  gave  no  colour  to 
the  two  first,  but  a  deep  red  to  the  last,  and  a 
paler  red  to  the  other  two* 


297 


CHAPTER  XIL 


OF  VERDIGRISE. 

IT  may  not  be  amiss  to  give  the  reader  a 
chymical  hint  of  verdigrise. 
Vegetable  acids  dissolve  copper  slowly,  but 
in  considerable  quantity;  the  solution  shoots 
into  bluish  green  chrysials,  similar  to  the  verdi- 
grise, ^erugo  or  viride  deris^  of  the  shops.  This 
preparation  is  made  in  large  quantities  in 
France,  particularly  about  Montpelier,  by  stra- 
tifying copperplates  with  the  husks  of  grapes 
remaining  after  the  juice  has  been  prest  out. 
These  soon  become  acid,  and  corrode  the 
copper. 

Verdigrise  should  be  chosen  in  cakes,  not 
moist  or  unctuous,  but  dry,  compact,  and  of  an 
uniform  texture,  of  a  lively  green  colour 
throughout,  as  free  as  possible  from  white  and 
black  specks,  and  seeds  or  stalks  of  the  grape. 
It  is  purified  by  solution  in  distilled  vinegar, 
and  crystallization,  and  then  called,  improperly, 
distilled  verdigrise  or  flowers  of  copper.  The 
Dutch  who  prepare  these  crystals  in  large  quan- 
tities, after  duly  evaporating  the  solution,  set  it 
to  shoot,  not,  as  is  customary,  in  a  cold  but  in  a 
warm  place,  as  practised  in  m.aking  sugar- 
candy. 


2^8 


If  rectified  spirit  of  wine  be  added  to  the  so- 
lution, or  if  volatile  alkalis  be  added  to  a  solu- 
tion of  copper  and  spirit  of  wine  to  this  mixture^ 
small  blue  crystals  will  be  immediately  formed. 
These  are  called  by  some  antepileptic  crystals  of 
copper. 

Highly  rectified  spirit  of  wine,  digested  on 
half  an  ounce,  or  twelve  scruples  of  powdered 
verdigrise,  dissolved  three  scruples  and  a  half ; 
ordinary  rectified  spirit,  four  scruples  ;  common 
malt  spirits  four  and  a  half,  and  French  brandy 
seven  and  a  half.  Water  dissolved,  out  of  the 
same  quantity,  five  scruples.  Common  wine 
vinegar  dissolved  all  but  fifteen  grains,  and 
distilled  vinegar  all  but  ten  grains.  The 
whole  quantity  of  verdigrise  dissolved  in  either 
kind  of  vinegar,  could  not  be  recovered  again 
in  a  crystalline  form. 

From  the  common  vinegar  only  two  scruples 
and  five  grains  crystallized,  and  from  the  distil- 
kd  vinegar  three  scruples.  The  residuum  in 
the  first  case  continued  softish,  in  the  latter  dry. 
With  French  brandy  there  was  no  crystallization 
at  all ;  the  whole  that  the  spirit  had  taken  up 
remaining  uniformly  mixt  into  the  consistence 
of  an  extract. 


A, HINT 


TO  THE 


Diers  and  Cloth-Makers^ 


AND  WELL  WORTH  THE  NOTICE  OF 


THE  MERCHANT. 


BY  JAMES  HAIGH, 

^ATE  SILK  AND  MUSLIN-PIER,  LEEPS- 


PREFACE, 


7 HE  Author  of  the  Dier^s  Assistant  thinks  it  his  duty,  lu 
graxitude  to  the  professors  in  that  nolle  art,  to  subscribe  his 
hearty  thanks  for  their  approbation  of  and  encouragement 
gi'ven  to  that  njuork^  in  this  and  e^very  part  of  England,  It  is 
tuell  known  by  that  body  of  people  y  and  felt  to  by  some,  that 
the  price  for  dieing  nxjoollen^goods  hath  been  much  reduced  of 
late.  Many  circumstances  halving  determined  me,  long  since » 
to  acquire  all  possible  knon,tjlexige  in  the  practice  of  dieing,  I 
am  therefore  constrained  once  more  to  recommend  a  strict  inqui^ 
ry  into  the  original  quality  of  all  the  drugs  they  use,  that 
thereby,  if  possible,  they  may  disco^uer  some  of  the  many  hid- 
den ad'v  ant  ages  that  may  justly  be  expected  therefrom . 

/  am  astonished  that  no  artist  has  e'ver  attempted  to  itnpro'vc 
this  most  i?7genious  art  on  chymical  principles,  I  begun  the 
fivork  in  hopes  that  my  master-piece  ^'jould  undertake  to  im- 
prove  it,  but  in  <vain  do  I  expect  it, 

A  WORD  TO  THE  THINKING  PART  OF  DIERS. 

If  you  Duere  sensible  of  the  double  ad'vantage  that  might 
acquired  in  the  use  of  many  of  your  vegetable  drugs,  which 
must  he  fir  it  grounded  on  chymical  experiments  in  miniature, 
which  will  be  a  certain  rule  to  the  practice  at  large,  I  a?n  cer^ 
tain  you  would  not  rest  till  you  had  made  some  improvement. 

If  after  you  have  been  dieing  with  that  resinous  drug, 
saunders,  when  emptying  the  vessel  you  take  up  a  handful,  dry 
it  and  digest  it  in  a  phial  with  some  pure  spirits  of  wine,  and 
it  will  afford  you  an  excellent  red,  water  being  insujfficient  to 
dissolve  the  resin,  and  let  out  the  prime  part  of  the  crdour» 
Many  others  may  be  discovered  if  an  un^vearied  attention 
-luas  paid, 

Cc 


302 


PREFACE. 


Many  'v:ill  censure  and  despise  this^for  no  other  reason  than 
because  they  cannot  see  into  it  ;  nor  -ivill  they  be  at  any  pains 
to  learn  and  improve  their  talents.  They  seem  rather  to 
choose  the  old  round y  like  a  horse  in  a  mill^  hanjing  no  spirit 
or  courage  to  impronje^  but  content  woith  each  knonving  the 
other'* 5  ?nethod,  ^without  stri'ving  to  excel,  and  disco<ver  more 
complete  and  less  expensinje  ^ays  of  working,  and  using  the 
drugs  to  the  best  ad'vantage, 

I  know  not  hoixj  men  can  sit  still  <when  there  is  more  to  learn, 
"Let  it  not  be  said  of  you^  as  of  one  of  old,  •*  he  li*ved  and  died 
and  did  nothijig  perhaps  he  ^worked  nxjith  his  hands,  but 
his  head  was  asleep  ;  and  therefore  he  was  an  unprofitable 
ser^j ant,  and  when  dead,  his  memory  was  no  more*  Sure  it 
.is,  the  innjitation  1  hanje  to  write  and  publish  this  small  pam^^ 
phlet  is  not  so  much  to  please  others,  or  to  shew  any  thing  J 
haue  is  capable  of  the  name  of  parts,  but  to  communicate  my 
good  wishes  for  improvement  to  my  brethren  the  Diers,  and  to 
show  them  my  willingness  to  help  to  perfect  one  of  the  ?nost 
useful  arts  in  the  worlds 

I  shall  leave  all  to  itself,  and  to  every  maji^s  just  liberty  to 
approve,  or  disapprove,  as  he  pleases*  And  however  it  be, 
the  author  shall  not  be  much  troubled,  for  he  is  certain  no 
^an  can  have  a  lighter  esteem  for  him,  than  he  has  for  him* 
self',  who,  however,  will  be  best  pleased,  if  any  man  shall  find 
benefit  by  what  he  has  written.  If  any  should  alledge  a  gene* 
ral  acceptation,  that,  to  the  author,  will  be  no  prevailing  ar- 
gument ;  for  the  multitude,  though  most  in  number,  are  the 
worst  and  most  partial  judges.  He  does  not  plead  the  impor* 
tunity  of friends  for  the  publication  of  this.  If  it  is  worthy., 
it  needs  no  apology;  if  not,  let  it  be  despised 'y  and  I  remain 
tht  s^me  friend  to  trade. 

JAMES  HAIGH. 


A  HINT  TO  THE  DIERS,  &cc. 


BLACK  being  a  primitive  colour,  and  one 
of  the  most  difficult  to  perfect,  deserves  a 
few  remarks.  If  I  ask  a  Dier  what  ingredients 
compose  a  black,  the  answer  will  be  this  :  Log- 
wood, shumac,  bark,  and  copperas  and  if  he 
knows  ir,  he  will  add  a  little  ashes  and  argol  ia 
the  last  wet.  If  1  ask  him  which  of  these  drugs 
contain  an  acid,  which  an  alkaline,  pnd  which 
a  neutral  quality,  he  cannot  give  me  an  answer  : 
so  you  see  he  knows  the  effect,  but  a  stranger 
to  the  cause,  and  every  thing  else  separate  from 
fact  and  custom. 

What  a  pity  it  is  that  men  will  not  search 
things  to  the  bottom,  when  they  might  be  able 
to  nnd  out  the  cause  of  miscarriages,  for  which^ 
goods  are  frequently  thrown  aside  to  be  died 
other  colours,  greatly  to  the  Dier's  loss.  In 
conversing  with  a  sensible  Dier,  I  simply  asked 
him,  What  part  does  logwood  act  in  the  black 
die  ?  the  honest  man  as  simply  ansv;ered,  "  It 
helps  to  make  it  black."    No  other  proof 


3^4 

.v:is  wanted  to  know  that  l)c  also  followed  his 
tourfachers  in  the  old  round.  But  the  read^r^ 
by  now,  thinks  it  time  to  be  informed  of  the 
business  of  logwood;  which  is  (if  used  in  a 
right  proportion)  to  soften  the  goods,  and  give 
kistre  to  the  colour.  Logwood  being  possess- 
of  a  most  excellent  astringent  quality,  fixes 
i'tself  in  the  pores  of  the  goods,  and  gives  ihem 
,1  vci  vet-like  feel  and  aloss. 

Some  will  object  to  this  assertion,  and  say, 
but  our  blacks  liave  not  that  velvet-like  fee! 
and  gloss.  True,  Sir,  but  don't  you  know  the 
reason  ?  you  die  your  blacks  without  scouring, 
forgetting,  or  not  knowing,  that  when  the 
goodc  enter  the  boiling  die-liquor^  they  grow 
harsh,  and  the  oil  contained  in  them  forms  a 
sort  of  resin,  which  becomes  as  fixed  as  if  it  was 
pitch  or  tar,  This  is  one  great  cause  why 
blacks  are  so  liable  to  soil  and  dirty  linen,  be- 
cause the  die  is  in  some  sense  held  in  an  out- 
side or  superficial  state.  Think  then,  is  it  pos- 
sible these  goods  should  finish  soft  like  velvet, 
or  shine  like  a  raven'ii  feather  ?  No,  on  the  con- 
trary they  spoil  the  press  papers,  and  comiC  out 
stiff  and  hard  like  buckram,  (not  velvet)  and 
are  often  three-parts  perished  in  the  finishing* 
No  greater  cause  can  be  assigned  for  it  than 
that  of  not  scouring.  This  is  the  reason  of  the 
great  difference,  so  much  spoken  of,  between 
the  London  blacks  and  those  died  at  Leeds, 
If  the  Leed's  Dieis  would  take  the  same  pains 
as  the  Londoners  do,  I  think  they  would  exceL 
«  in  factj  if  not  in  name/ 


The  finishing  shops  in  London  are  not  more 
than  half  so  well  furnished  with  tools  as  chose  at 
Leeds  are  ;  and  therefore  let  the  Leeds  Dicrs  be 
equally  tight  and  clean  in  their  perforinaiiccs 
and  there  is  nothing  to  prevent  their  superiori- 
ty. But  the  master  diers  give  a  very  reasonable 
answer  to  the  foregoing.  They  say,  the  price  is 
too  low,  and  they  cannot  afford  to  take  so  much 
pains.  What  a  pity  that  the  mercliants  do  not 
consider  this !  if  three  pence  a  piece  was  added 
to  the  price  for  dicing  thin  goods  black,  i^ 
would  about  pay  for  the  scouring,  and  the 
goods  would  be  finished  with  a  brilliant  lustre^ 
and  yet  soft  like  a  russel. 

I  should  speak  a  little  to  the  nature  and  bu~ 
^incss  of  the  other  drugs,  which  enter  the  com- 
position of  black,  had  I  not  done  it  before,  (^see 
the  article  blacky  Diers  Assist anly  p.  1 84.) 

I  am  astonished  at  the  ignorance  ofthe  poor 
cloth-makers,  many  of  whom  have  applied  to- 
me frequently  for  instructions ;  one  of  them,  on 
being  asked  what  sort  of  ware,  and  hov/  mucl> 
he  used  to  die  such  a  colour,  shewing  him  a  pat- 
tern, he  answered,  When  I  have  a  pattern  given 
me  by  a  merchant,  I  go  to  the  saker,  shew  him^ 
the  order,  and  he  serves  me  with  what  is  want-- 
ed.  I  conversed  with  him  some  time,  and 
would  have  instructed  him,  but  alas !  he  had 
left  his  capacity  at  home,  and  I  might  as  well 
have  read  the  newspaper  to  him.  What  a  pity 
it  is  that  so  many  hundreds  of  that  noble  branch 
of  business  work,  as  it  were,  blindfolded,  and 
poverty  bitten  tgo,  for  want  of  instructions, 

Cc  2 


3o6 


which  they  have  no  spirit  to  seek  ;  who,  when 
they  bring  a  cloth  tothe  nnai  ket>  are  glad  to  sell 
it  for  one  and  sixpence,  or  two  shillings  in  the 
pound  profit,  when  they  might  as  easily  gain 
five  or  six  shillings,  if  they  knew  how  to  use 
their  drugs.  Bur  I  despair  of  doing  that  for 
them,  which  nature  has  left  undone;  for,  with- 
out I  could  teach  them  to  see  with  a  dier's  eye, 
I  might  talk  and  write  for  ever  in  vain. 

But  there  is  another  class  of  cloth-makers,  to 
whom  I  will  give  a  useful  hint,  and  have  done. 

The  article  sky  blue  deserves  our  notice. 
This  colour  is  often  substituted,  (even  on  fine 
cloth)  by  the  Saxon  blue,  on  account  of  its  bril^ 
liancy  and  fine  lustre but,  like  a  fugitive,  it 
only  stays  for  a  season.  A  little  experience 
has  taught  me,  that  if  a  parcel  of  fine  wool  b^ 
well  scoured^  then  sulphured  or  stoved,  than 
which  nothing  can  make  it  whiter,  and  then 
died  in  a  weak  vat,  it  will  have  ail  the  beauty  of 
the  Saxon  blue,  withoi^t  its  imperfections.  The 
vat  used  for  this  purpose  should  be  set  with  a 
small  quantity  of  indigo,  on  purpose  for  light 
shades,  when  the  shades  will  be  always  brighter 
than  when  died  in  an  old  vat  that  has  been  weak- 
ened by  dying  dark  colours.  But  the  diers  tell 
you  that  blues  bear  so  low  a  price^  and  indigo 
is  so  dear,  that  they  cannot  afford  to  set  fresh 
vats  for  light  shades.  Here  is  a  sufficient 
cause,  and  one  very  great  reason  of  retarding 
the  perfection  of  many  colours.  If  the  wool 
beforementioned  should  be  obstructed  in  the 
milling,  by  means  of  the  sulphur,  (of  which  I 


3^7 

have  not  had  experience)  I  would  commend 
the  dicing  of  the  wool  after  scouring  only,  and 
stove  it  after  it  is  milled,  which  1  think  will 
answer  the  same  purpose;  and  the  beauty  of 
the  colour  will  amply  pay  for  every  superhu- 
ous  work. 

I  would  recommend  to  thediers,  after  wash- 
ing the  dark  blues  well  at  the  river,  to  turn  the 
cloth  very  quick  through  a  warm  vessel  of  wa- 
ter, in  which  has  been  dissolved  a  little  alum, 
and  they  will  see  a  surprising  change  in  the 
lustre  from  that  simple  process. 

I  am  not  willing  to  omit  any  thing  worth  no- 
tice in  the  course  of  my  experiments.  1  will 
tlierefore,  lightly  touch  the  properties  of  com- 
mon water.  By  a  great  number  of  experiments^ 
I  am  thoroughly  convinced^  that  different  waters 
with  the  same  ingredients  strike  different  co- 
lours. I  find  that  the  purest  and  lightest  wa- 
ter strike  the  best  light  colours. 

All  the  die-houses  at  a  distance  from  the  ri- 
ver in  Lon(ion  are  furnished  with  wood  cisterns 
which  hold  perhaps  from  one  to  two  hundred 
hogsheads  of  water,  which  is  supplied  from  the 
water  woiks,  and  is  always  impure,  and  fre- 
quently  muddy  ;  when  on  standing  a  conside- 
rable time,  as  is  the  case  at  some  seasons  of  the 
year,  it  becomes  putrid  and  emits  a  fetid 
smell ;  if  suffered  to  stand  longer,  it  purifies  it- 
self, and  becomes  sweet  and  clear,  as  well  as 
considerably  lighter^  I  have  sometimes  filled 
a  vessel  when  the  water  has  been  all  of  a  fer- 
ment^  and  stunk  almost  beyond  bearing,  which 


at  a  boiling  heat  was  no  more  felr;  by  adding 
a  handful  of  comnnon  search  and  a  small  bit  of 
aiuin,  all  the  filch  is  made  to  rise,  and  is  taken 
oil  with  a  ladle  for  that  purpose.  The  superior 
goodness  of  the  water  obliges  us  to  ascribe  an 
advantage  to  the  London  diers  of  light  colours ; 
add  to  this  their  remarkable  cleanliness.  When 
a  vessel  is  boiling  they  watch  it  carefully;  and 
with  a  mop,  kept  for  that  purpose,  they  rub  off 
the  scum  all  round  at  the  water's  edge,  so  that 
the  liquor  is  perfectly  clear. 

A  short  Remark  cn  the  Die  of  Brazil  zvood. 

It  is  impossible  to  v;ear  a  red,  a  dove  colour^^ 
a  crimson,  purple,  light  or  deep  violet,  or  any 
other  colour,  the  produce  of  Brazil  wood  used 
recently  m.any  weeks,  without  fading,  spotting,, 
or  soiling.  If  these  colours  were  died  in  grain 
tbxy  would  indeed  cost  something. more,, but  you 
have  then  a  colour  which  will  continue  beauti- 
ful as  long  as  the  stuff  or  cloth  will  last ;  and  if 
spotted  with  dirt  or  grease,  can  easily  be  scour-^ 
cd  and  cleaned  without  danger  of  losing  or  inju-- 
ring  the  colour. 

1  boiled  fifty  pounds  of  Brazil  chips  one  hour, 
in  a  copper  of  the  hardest  spring  water  I  could 
find,  and  carefully  took,  off  the  scum,  turned 
this  liquor  over  into  a  large  tub,  and  re-heated 
the  copper  to  boil  the  chips  a  second  time,  when^ 
tlie  colour  was  all  extracted.  I  then  put  both 
liquors  together,  and  let  it  stand  six  months, 
when  it  was  ropy  and  thick  like  oil.  Now 
having  prepared  a  small  piece  of  fine  cloth  in 


alum  and  sour  bran -water,  and  kept  it  moist 
five  days  unwashed  out  of  the  alum,  I  boiled 
one  nut-gall  and  one  quart  of  Brazil  liquor 
ten  minutes,  then  rinsed  my  piece  of  cloth,  and 
died  it  a  very  beautiful  marone.  But  the  chief 
remark  I  intend  to  make  here,  is,  that  I  hung 
this  piece  of  cloth  in  the  open  air  night  and  day 
during  four  severe  winter  months,  and  it  had 
rather  gained  in  beauty  of  colour,  and  was 
grown  rather  deeper.  This  is  a  sufficient  proof 
that  chymisrry  hath  a  power  of  securing  the 
fine  particles  of  those  vegetables  which  are  now 
called  bastard  drugs.  Experim.ents  (which 
are  the  best  guides  in  natural  philosophy,  as 
well  as  in  arts)  plainly  shew  that  a  great  advan- 
tage might  arise  in  favour  of  the  studious  prac- 
dtioner,  who  is  not  wearied  if  he  miss  his  design 
after  twenty  or  thirty  trials,  but  still  pursues 
his  plan  till  he  has  hit  it;  for  nothing  of  the 
kind  seems  to  be  impossible. 

A  few  Experimental.  Observations  on  the  Die 
of  Cochineal. 

After  all  the  common  processes  of  dicing 
with  cochineal,  there  is  fcvund  at  the  bottom  of 
the  vessel  a  deep  brown  sediment.  This  sedi- 
ment appears  to  consist  of  the  impurities  of  the 
tarrar,  and  the  grosser  parts  of  the  powdered 
ccch:neai,  b^^ng  lighi-iy  washf;d  vyith 

clear  cold  water,  dried  and  ground  on  i^.  marr 
ble,  with  one  fourth  its  weight  of  fine  tartar, 
into  an  inipalpable;^wd^:r,;an:d  th^*p  pu  into 
water  with  a  little  alum^  a  piece  of  white  cloth 


310 


bailed  in  this  liquor  three  quarters  of  an  hour 
acquired  a  very  beautiful  crimson  die. 

This  experiment  evinces,  that,  by  reducing 
cochineal  into  a  powder  of  moderate  fineness  as 
commonly  practised,  we  donor  gain  all  the  ad- 
vantage which  this  valuable  commodity  is  ca- 
pable of  yielding. 

If  the  cochineal,  when  taken  from  the  vessel^ 
(after  the  scarlets  are  died)  is  treated  as  above, 
the  saving  in  the  cochineal,  whether  for  scarlet 
or  crimson,  will  be  about  one-third.  Though 
less  tartar  is  usually  employed  in  the  die  liquor, 
yet  this  quantity  here  directed  does  no  harm  ; 
it  appeared  on  trial  that  the  colour  was  rather 
the  more  solid  for  it.  All  urinous  and  alkaline 
liquors  or  substances  stain  scarlet  of  a  crimson, 
by  destroying  the  effect  of  the  acid.  Hence,  in 
pure  country  air,  scarlet  retains  its  lustre  much 
longer  than  in  cities  and  towns,  where  alkaline 
and  urinous  vapours  are  more  abundant.  The 
dirt  of  roads  and  sundry  substances  of  the  acrid 
kind,  leave  no  stain  on  scarlet,  if  the  part  be 
washed  immediately  in  pure  water,  and  wrung 
in  a  clean  linen  cloth.  If  the  dirt  is  suffered  to 
dry,  a  blackish  violet  spot  will  remain,  v;hich  can 
only  be  discharged  by  mild  vegetable  acids,  as 
vinegar,  citron  juice,  a  warm  dilute  solution  of 
cream  of  tartar^  or  SQur  bran-water  j  if  theae 
ac'd's,  kdweyef,  t>e  ooc  applied  ;wiJi  a  good  deal 
of  address,  whilst  they  tals:e  out  the  blackish 
stain  theyjeave  a  yqUpw  pne,  by.  dissolving  the 
colouring;p2injfles  Qf  (hexochiutai  .itself. 


After  at  least  a  thousand  experiments,  i  am 
obliged  to  conclude,  that  the  dicing  of  wool  is 
the  most  extensive  branch  of  this  art,  it  may  be 
considered  as  its  basis ;  but  the  dicing  of  silk^ 
thread,  and  cotton,  deserves  also  our  attention. 

The  great  ditFerence  between  those  substan- 
ces, and  that  of  wool,  is  well  known  to  the  ca- 
lico printers,  whose  grand  care  it  is  to  find 
means  of  making  linen  receive  the  same  dies  as 
wool  docs.  The  physical  cause  of  the  differ- 
ence seems  yet  unknown ;  and  indeed,  as  be- 
fore observed  of  dies  in  general,  we  know  as  yet 
very  little.  Are  animal  filaments  tubular,  and 
the  colouring  atoms  received  within  them?  are 
vegetable  filaments  solid,  and  the  colour  depo- 
sited on  the  surface  ?  or,  does  not  their  different 
susceptibility  of  colour  depend  rather  on  the 
different  intrinsic  properties  of  the  two?  An  an- 
swer to  this  would  doubtless  prove  of  great 
utility. 

I  should  be  happy  to  find  some  artist  under- 
take to  improve  what  I  have  in  a  poor  way  be- 
gun. I  long  to  see  the  art  in  perfection,  one 
half  of  which  is  yet  in  oblivion. 

The  reader  may  be  assured,  that  what  is  here 
recited  is  purely  the  result  of  the  author's  own 
experience,  (nor  theory)  and  part  of  the  effects 
of  many  years'  study. 


THE  END. 


THEGEiryCEfiTE^ 


